Donald Trump bragged Tuesday that other countries’ stock markets decline when his poll numbers rise — calling it a testament to his tough-on-trade protectionist approach.
“Do you watch the stock market?” he said at a rally here. “Whenever I do well in the polls, other countries’ stock goes down — their stock goes down a little bit. It’s not very much.”
The Republican presidential nominee said he’d lower the United States’ trade deficit.
“We want a fair deal — we don’t want to lose $800 billion,” he said.
Just before the first presidential debate, as Trump had matched or in some cases topped Clinton in national polls, stocks in the United States slumped slightly — but losses in Europe were more significant, and the Mexican peso hit an all-time low.
Trump has made opposition to trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement, implemented under President Bill Clinton, and the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, negotiated by President Barack Obama as a counterbalance to China’s rising influence in the Asia-Pacific, a centerpiece of his campaign.
He’s threatened to renegotiate or repeal existing trade deals like NAFTA and slap tariffs on goods made in other countries — particularly by American businesses that relocate their manufacturing.