President Trump kicked off his August vacation by celebrating an agreement that makes it easier for American ranchers to export beef to Europe, giving him a self-made victory as other trade deals run into roadblocks on Capitol Hill and across the Pacific.
Duty-free exports to the European Union will increase by more than 180% under the deal, from $150 million to $420 million.
“This is a tremendous victory for American farmers, ranchers and of course European consumers, because American beef is considered the best in the world,” Mr. Trump said Friday at the White House.
Mr. Trump said his tactics appeared to work in this instance, saying his threat of auto tariffs prompted the European Union to come to the table on farm products. He said the auto levies remain on the table should he want to demand further concessions.
“The EU has tremendous barriers to us, but we just broke the first barrier. And maybe we broke it because of the fact that if I don’t get what we want, I’ll put auto tariffs,” Mr. Trump told White House reporters.
He took another victory lap Saturday on Twitter, writing that countries now feel compelled to make “REAL trade deals” with this administration.
“They don’t want to be targeted for Tariffs by the U.S.,” he tweeted.
The president is on a bit of a winning streak with his tariff threats. After he promised to target Mexico, that country’s government rushed to step up its immigration enforcement, helping cut the flow of migrants coming to the U.S.
After a threat aimed at Guatemala last month, that country signed a deal to take back asylum-seekers who cross its territory en route to the U.S.
Mr. Trump is faring better with foreign governments than he is with the rest of Washington, where his immigration plans have stalled on Capitol Hill.
The same goes for his trade agenda: His newly negotiated U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is meeting resistance.
Democrats said the deal, already approved by Mexico’s government, must be changed with new labor and environmental standards, plus measures to curtail concessions for prescription-drug manufacturers.
“If that doesn’t happen, there’s won’t be a bill. Plain and simple,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, told reporters last week.
It was the clearest indication to date that top Democrats intend to reject the deal unless Mr. Trump revises it.
Henry Connelly, spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reinforced that view Friday. He said House Democrats “want to be on a path to yes on USMCA,” but “members’ concerns about enforcement, labor, prescription drugs and environment must be addressed.”
“The substance will determine the timing,” he said.
America First, a Trump-aligned Political Action Committee, said it will continue to press for a vote, enlisting Vice President Mike Pence as a partner in events across the U.S.
“If Schumer wants to play hardball, so be it. He’ll be at odds with his own party and will be going against the best interest of the American people,” said America First spokeswoman Kelly Sadler.
In the meantime, Mr. Trump will seek trade victories on his own. He said beef farmers are already seeing new sales in Japan, Tunisia, Morocco and Australia.
Sen. John Hoeven, North Dakota Republican, praised the administration for standing up for beef ranchers in his state, though said it would be nice if Congress passed the North American deal, too.
He said for now, farmers will take all the progress and new markets they can get.
“This is the kind of agreement we need,” Mr. Hoeven said at the White House.
The president considers farmers to be a key part of his constituency, labeling them patriots for weathering the blowback from other countries to Mr. Trump’s aggressive trade stance.
As the trade dispute with China escalates, Mr. Trump has promised billions in bailout dollars to affected farmers.
After another round of talks last week didn’t produce a breakthrough, Mr. Trump said he will extend levies to nearly all Chinese imports, effective Sept. 1.
The tariff threat caused markets to slide and rattled retailers, who are mulling their orders for the Christmas shopping season.
Experts say the tariffs are inevitably passed down to U.S. consumers, who will pay more for cellphones, toys, baby products and other items.
The Trump administration says any impact on American will be minimal, while Beijing will see the biggest burden.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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