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The Indicator from Planet Money · Wednesday, July 1, 2026

White House Defends Trade Agenda as Protecting American Workers

In response to criticism that the US administration prioritizes flexing power over mutually beneficial trade in its USMCA dealings, a White House spokesperson stated their trade agenda's sole motivation is to end unfair foreign trade practices that harm American workers and businesses. This comes amid ongoing discussions about the future of the USMCA.

personBarry AppletonpersonKush De Sair

The tape

2 quotes
We reached out to the White House to ask how they respond to Barry's criticism that the US is more concerned with flexing its power than fostering mutually beneficial trade.
Adrian Ma
White House spokesperson Kush De Sair responded, quote, The sole motivation of the Trump administration's trade agenda is to end the decades long era of Americans workers and businesses being ripped off and undermined by unfair foreign trade practices, end quote.
Kush De Sair
Heard on The Indicator from Planet Money — “Why Trump wants to rip up his own trade deal, published Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
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