On February 28, President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress following an invitation from House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan. Trump’s remarks made significant references to trade and manufacturing, common themes during his campaign.

Early in the speech, Trump promised “[d]ying industries will come roaring back to life” and “[c]rumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our very, very beautiful land.” Trump focused much of his trade agenda on the implications of trade agreements. He touted the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, describing the agreement as “job-killing.” Trump questioned long-standing components of the U.S. international trade agreement architecture, stating, “[w]e’ve lost more than one-fourth of our manufacturing jobs since NAFTA was approved, and we've lost 60,000 factories since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.”

Trump expressed deep concerns over tariffs and taxes and argued that U.S. exports face high taxes and tariffs compared to U.S. imports. Trump summarized his position as “I believe strongly in free trade but it also has to be fair trade.” He argued that fair trade has long been absent, and pledged, “I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers be taken advantage of us any longer.”

Other trade issues raised during Trump’s address were a U.S.-Canadian partnership to increase opportunities and market access for female entrepreneurs. Trump also pointed to new trade sanctions on individuals and entities connected to Iranian ballistic missile development.