Trump on Trade

Approximately 60 percent of Clinton supporters were in favour of offering legal status to illegal immigrants working in the US, while an overwhelming 84 percent of Trump supporters advocated for them to be deported to their home countries, according to CNN.

Obama has attempted to create a legacy on multiple fronts, particularly on trade policy and climate action during his second term. With trade, his administration worked with 11 other Pacific Rim nations to conclude negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, an ambitious accord that proponents and analysts say includes some of the most advanced trade provisions seen on environmental and labour protections.

Obama has touted the TPP as a chance to help set the “rules of the road” for trade in the vast Asia-Pacific region, as well as setting a high standard and race to the top for global trade rule-making.

For his part, Trump has openly repudiated the accord, pledging that he will pull the United States out of the 12-country deal, along with seeking a re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) currently in place with Canada and Mexico, warning that should the two other trading nations in the accord not agree to his terms, he would pull the US entirely out of the agreement.

The TPP is still at the ratification stage in the US, and while Obama’s team has repeatedly expressed their hope that it could be approved during the upcoming “lame duck” session of Congress before the new president takes office, congressional leadership has reiterated following the election result that they do not intend to hold a vote this year.

On an issue of sharp divergence, Trump and the Republican Party overall have openly repudiated the White House’s climate agenda, having pledged to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement onclimate change, along with defunding the UN agencies which work on climate change.