White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany took the podium as President Trump met with the President of Mexico. McEnany highlighted the historic United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) that recently went into effect, and the millions of American jobs that will be created as a result of the trade deal.
USMCA replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a decades-old trade agreement that previous presidents sought to restructure, but true reform was not executed until the Trump administration. McEnany said that NAFTA was a bad deal for the American worker, and that politicians overlook the economic damage caused under NAFTA.
Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany: "NAFTA was a bad deal for the American worker." pic.twitter.com/Q1naSvNS8t
— The Hill (@thehill) July 8, 2020
McEnany pointed to President Trump’s record-breaking economy, which will only be bolstered by USMCA:
“The USMCA is good for business as president trump rebuilds the strongest, most inclusive economy in history. The USMCA will help jumpstart our economy,” she said.
McEnany told reporters that she was unaware of any discussion of a wall along the southern border between the two presidents during their meeting:
“That discussion did not come up when I was in the room,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says when asked about Pres. Trump’s 2016 campaign promise and whether he asked the Mexican president to pay for the wall on the southern border. https://t.co/0sRVNftbQR pic.twitter.com/XOJoVTENa6
— ABC News (@ABC) July 8, 2020
McEnany also affirmed President Trump's commitment to opening America's schools in the fall, after Wednesday morning's coronavirus task force briefing, telling reporters that keeping schools closed is an "untenable prospect:"
White House Press Secretary @KayleighMcEnany: “Keeping schools closed down is an untenable prospect" pic.twitter.com/x66FVm9Gbp
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) July 8, 2020