U.S. voters back USMCA as Trump weighs trade pact changes

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USMCA support among U.S. voters

Highlights

A Public Opinion Strategies poll finds 72 percent of U.S. voters consider the USMCA good for the economy, with bipartisan support ahead of a potential Trump-led review.
Business groups claim USMCA supports over 13 million U.S. jobs and argue its predictability attracts global capital, while unions demand stronger labor protections and more incentives for U.S. job creation.
The Trump administration is preparing to formally begin negotiations to review and potentially renegotiate parts of the USMCA, which could initiate a lengthy multiyear process.

Poll findings ahead of USMCA review

As first reported by Financial Times, a survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies for the Global Business Alliance finds that 72 per cent of voters say the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is good for the economy. The backing includes about two-thirds of Republicans and three-quarters of Democrats, suggesting support for the pact extends across party lines.

The poll also finds that most voters believe the agreement helps create U.S. jobs and lower prices for American consumers. The findings arrive as the Trump administration prepares to formally begin talks on renegotiating parts of the deal through what could become a lengthy multiyear review process.

Jonathan Samford, chief executive of the Global Business Alliance, says the agreement gives international companies the stable rules needed to invest, manufacture and hire in the United States. He describes that predictability as a competitive advantage that should be reaffirmed quickly.

Business support meets union resistance

Business groups are presenting the pact as a tool for attracting global capital, strengthening supply chains and expanding manufacturing across North America. The Business Roundtable says in a statement that USMCA has delivered significant economic benefits for the United States and supports more than 13 million American jobs.

At the same time, major unions are pressing for tougher terms. The United Auto Workers and the United Steelworkers say the agreement should include stronger labor protections across all three countries and better incentives for companies to create U.S. jobs instead of shifting manufacturing to Mexico.

UAW president Shawn Fain says there can be no return to the American dream without reversing the damage caused by Nafta and its successor, USMCA, and the union is calling for a dramatic transformation of the current deal. United Steelworkers president Roxanne Brown says the pact had a chance to lift wages in Mexico and help stop a race to the bottom for workers across North America, but it falls short.

Our earlier article on the USMCA extension deadline explained that the upcoming review could determine whether the pact is renewed for another 16 years or pushed into mandatory annual checkups that prolong uncertainty for businesses across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. We also noted that proposed tougher auto rules of origin—such as higher regional content thresholds and a bigger U.S. share—could disrupt integrated supply chains and force costly long-term adjustments for automakers.

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