Democratic President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement that went into effect on Jan. 1, 1994. The deal was fiercely opposed by labor unions and some environmentalists but backed by Clinton, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and a coalition that included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
What critics say Clinton set into motion was the erosion of American manufacturing, off-shoring of jobs overseas, and union distrust of the Democratic Party by way of shrinking paychecks.
Donald Trump tapped into that frustration when he burst onto the scene in 2015, blasting NAFTA as the “single worst trade deal ever approved in this country” and blaming the husband of his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for the demise of workers in places like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Now, Trump is making trade deals front and center in his White House…
