Donald Trump has said the World Trade Organization has treated the US unfairly and needs to “shape up”.
Threatening to pull the US out of WTO, Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg news that the international trade body often and unfairly rules against the US.
“If they don’t shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO,” said the US President.
It is not the first time that Trump has attacked the trade body. Earlier this year on Fox News, he said the WTO was set up “to benefit everybody but us”, adding: “We lose the lawsuits, almost all of the lawsuits in the WTO.”
Despite Trump’s negative comments about the WTO, the US has sought assistance from the trade body in dealing with retaliatory tariffs that have been imposed by China, EU, Canada, Mexico and Turkey.
The US President’s most recent comments come as the Friday deadline for Canada to sign a new agreement with the US and Mexico approaches.
Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that signing the deal by Friday was possible, but: “It is only a possibility, because it will hinge on whether or not there is ultimately a good deal for Canada.”
Trudeau added that he is “determined to reach a fair agreement for all concerned” as long as the deal is “good for Canada and good for middle-class Canadians”.
Tensions between Canada and the US have been on the rise since the G7 summit earlier this year, when Mr Trump called the Canadian prime minister “very dishonest and weak”.