NEW YORK – Republican candidate Donald Trump appears to be finding his message for the fall campaign. The gist of it seems to be boiling down to a key contrast between Democrat Hillary Clinton and himself: she's a globalist and he's a patriot.
From the Trump campaign Wednesday morning:
In his speech yesterday, "Declaring American Economic Independence," Donald J. Trump made the case for Americanism over Hillary Clinton's Globalism, and detailed how the Trans-Pacific Partnership would undermine U.S. sovereignty and economic prosperity. He announced he would withdraw from the TPP and negotiate bilateral trade deals that protect U.S. economic interests.
He then challenged Hillary Clinton, longtime enthusiastic booster of the TPP, if she too would pledge to withdraw from the pact and rule out its passage in any form. Clinton now weakly says she only has issues with the TPP "currently…in its current form," politician-speak for saying she will approve it at the very earliest opportunity.
This would follow her same pattern of behavior on the Columbia and South Korea trade deals. Good luck though, finding her for an answer: it’s been 208 days since she last held a press conference.
Relevant excerpt follows below. Read the full footnoted speech here: "Declaring American Economic Independence"
TRUMP: "The TPP creates a new international commission that makes decisions the American people are no longer given the right to veto. These commissions are great for Hillary’s Wall Street funders, who can spend vast amounts of money to influence the people on the commissions and the outcomes.
It should be no surprise, then, that Hillary Clinton, according to Bloomberg, took a leading part in drafting the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Please remember that, especially in November.
She praised or pushed the TPP on 45 separate occasions, and even called it the gold standard. Hillary Clinton was totally for the TPP just a short while ago.
But when she saw my stance — which is totally against — she was shamed into saying she would be against it, too. And I will tell you, it was the same shame that she had recently where she was sort of forced into saying radical “Islamic terrorism,” which she didn’t want to say, but she was shamed into that.
But have no doubt that she will immediately approve it, if it is put before her. And that is guaranteed. Guaranteed.
She will do this, just as she has betrayed American workers for Wall Street and throughout — throughout her career. Her whole career she has betrayed the American worker. She is trying to put on a good front now, she will betray you again.
Her career and her husband have signed so many disasters and never, ever forget NAFTA. Just never ever forget it, because you know what it’s done and I know what it’s done. And in touring, I’ve seen the devastation that it’s left behind.
Here’s how it would go. She would make a small token change, declare the TPP Pact fixed and ram it through and you will suffer. That is why Hillary is now only saying she has problems with TPP in its current form.
You know what that means. That means like they will make a little two-word change and she will fix it and she will feel great. But she says in its current form, she can rush to embrace it again and she will at the earliest opportunity. If the media doesn’t believe me, I have a challenge for you and Hillary. Ask Hillary if she is willing to withdraw from the TPP her first day in office and unconditionally rule out its passage in any form.
