(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 29, 2018 US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Marine One on the South Lawn before departing from the White House. US President Donald Trump on April 6, 2018 defended his imposition of tariffs on metal imports, as soaring tensions with China fan global fears of an all-out trade war.”Despite the Aluminum Tariffs, Aluminum prices are DOWN 4%,” Trump tweeted, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the metal’s price has fallen since early March when Trump slapped tariffs of 10 percent on aluminum and 25 percent on steel.”People are surprised, I’m not! Lots of money coming into U.S. coffers and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” / AFP PHOTO / Mandel NGAN
US President Donald Trump teed up a fight with the World Trade Organization Friday, claiming the 164-country body was biased against the United States.
A day after China asked the WTO to referee a rapidly escalating trade fight with Washington, Trump questioned the organization’s impartiality.
“China, which is a great economic power, is considered a Developing Nation within the World Trade Organization,” he tweeted.
“They therefore get tremendous perks and advantages, especially over the U.S. Does anybody think this is fair. We were badly represented. The WTO is unfair to U.S.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about multilateral bodies — from the WTO to the United Nations to NATO — believing they constrain US power.
“Trump has made clear more than once what he thinks of multilateral institutions like the WTO,” said Marie Kasperek of the Atlantic Council.
Trump’s critics point out that Washington largely dictated terms inside those organizations, which have promoted a move toward more democratic market economies.
