Trump adviser to network: U.S., Mexico ‘close’ on trade deal

A trade deal between the U.S. and Mexico could be near.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Thursday, said that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is “getting close” to such a deal.

Kudlow told the network that “I think (Lighthizer) was a little more optimistic than I’ve seen him in many moons.”

The news comes less than a week after President Donald Trump tweeted that a deal with Mexico is “coming along nicely” and follows the resumption of negotiations between Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

Deal with Mexico is coming along nicely. Autoworkers and farmers must be taken care of or there will be no deal. New President of Mexico has been an absolute gentleman. Canada must wait. Their Tariffs and Trade Barriers are far too high. Will tax cars if we can’t make a deal!

The future of the North American Free Trade Agreement has been up in the air as Trump has sought to honor a pledge to remake the deal, which he has called “a horrible, horrible disaster for this country.” Experts, while acknowledging the need to update the arrangement, have warned that thousands of U.S. jobs, especially in the automotive industry, could be jeopardized should it fall apart.

Read more:

U.S.-Mexico are close to reaching a deal in NAFTA talks, but Canada is still a wild card

Ontario’s Brad Duguid: ‘Enlightened self-interest’ will save NAFTA

Canadian officials, however, have reportedly remained on the sidelines. A deal between the U.S. and Mexico, which will see President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador take his new post later this year, could raise pressure on Canada to come back to the table.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Michael Collins of USA Today contributed to this report.