U.S. President Donald Trump stated this Tuesday that he has no interest in updating or renewing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), arguing that his country does not depend on the trade agreement as much as its commercial partners do.
“I Would Prefer to Be Independent”: The Full Statement
During a telephone interview with the program Fox & Friends on Fox News, host Steve Doocy directly asked the president whether he was seeking to update the USMCA, known in English as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Trump responded:
“I don’t care. I mean, I really don’t want to. I’d rather be independent. Here’s the thing: Mexico and Canada need us, we don’t need them. The agreement is important to them, it’s not important to us.”
The response came in the context of a question about whether Washington would seek to modify the terms of the trade agreement that has governed commercial exchange between the three North American countries since 2020.
The media outlets CNBC and HuffPost reported that the July 1 deadline activated annual reviews of the agreement, which would remain in effect for another decade if none of the three countries decides to withdraw. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Background: The U.S. Had Already Decided Not to Renew It
According to reports from media outlets such as CNBC and HuffPost, the Trump administration had already announced that it would not renew the USMCA for a new 16-year period before the July 1 deadline, which activated a process of annual reviews that could lead to renegotiations of parts of the agreement. Under the current rules, the treaty would remain in force for another decade, as long as none of the member countries seeks to leave the agreement.
Media outlets such as CTV News reported that this is not the first time Trump has adopted this position regarding the trade agreement. In June, the president had already stated before reporters that he was not seeking to renew the treaty and that “we don’t need anything” that Canada or Mexico produce. At that time, political commentator Tom Mulcair described the position as a negotiation tactic and “a typical Donald Trump bluff,” according to statements collected by that outlet.
The Commercial Weight of Canada and Mexico With the U.S.
According to data cited by CP24, in 2024 the United States imported 412 billion dollars’ worth of goods from Canada; that figure decreased to 382 billion dollars in 2025, while from January to May 2026, Canadian exports to the U.S. totaled 163 billion dollars.
Context: It Is Not the First Time He Has Minimized the Agreement
In January of this year, during a visit to a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, Trump had already described the USMCA as “irrelevant” for the United States, stating that there was “no real advantage” in the agreement, although he acknowledged that Canada “loves it” and “wants it.” On that occasion, according to Reuters, automakers such as Ford, Toyota, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Stellantis had asked the U.S. administration to extend the agreement, arguing that it is essential for automotive production in the country.
The U.S. president questioned the trade balance with his North American partners and left open the possibility of modifying the regional agreement.
So far, it has not been officially confirmed whether these statements represent a definitive position from the White House regarding the treaty reviews, nor whether formal negotiations with Mexico and Canada will take place in the coming weeks.
Source: infobae
