Trump rules out leaving the USMCA and says a Canada deal could come fairly soon
The president denied plans to withdraw from the North American trade pact even as tariffs on Canadian goods stay in place.
Assembled by Claude from 7 sources at 7 outlets · Sunday, September 13, 2026, Evening edition, 5:12 PM EDT · no human byline
What happened
President Donald Trump played down the possibility of withdrawing from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and suggested a trade deal with Canada could come soon news.sbs.co.kr. Asked directly about withdrawing from the pact, he answered that things were going very well, and added that Washington would have a great relationship with Mexico biz.chosun.com. An aggregated summary dates the remarks to September 12 and reports that the president said Washington will not withdraw, which narrows but does not settle the pact's scheduled joint review ground.news.
The reversal is on the record. Trump has previously said he was considering withdrawing from the agreement, and denied plans to withdraw on Saturday; one account of the exchange notes he asked what a term in his own deal meant rawstory.com. Coverage before the remarks had flagged fears that a withdrawal threat would rewrite the rules for North American trade as the relationship deteriorated union-bulletin.com. On the Canada talks, United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News that Washington had offered Ottawa the best deal ntd.com. Reporting also stresses what has not changed: the headline framing is that the pact is kept while tariffs escalate biz.chosun.com.
Why it matters to investors
The agreement is the legal floor under North American supply chains, and withdrawal is not a fast process: member nations can leave provided they give six months of notice asiae.co.kr. Removing the withdrawal threat therefore removes a tail risk rather than a current cost. The current cost is the tariff layer sitting on top of the pact, which this reporting says continues to escalate biz.chosun.com.
That distinction is the whole story for anyone with cross-border exposure. Rules of origin, dispute settlement and investment protections survive; the duties that determine landed cost do not depend on them union-bulletin.comground.news. The joint review of the pact remains open, so the framework's terms are still in play even if its existence is not ground.news.
What to watch
The first item is whether a Canada agreement materialises on the timetable implied by fairly soon, and what it does to existing duties news.sbs.co.krntd.com. Greer's characterisation that Washington already offered its best deal suggests limited room on the American side ntd.com.
The second is the joint review, which the reporting describes as narrowed but unsettled ground.news. The third is consistency: the president has moved from considering withdrawal to denying it within a short period, so the assurance is worth what the next statement says it is worth rawstory.com. Mexico is the other party and is described in warmer terms than Canada, which leaves open whether a bilateral settlement arrives before a trilateral one biz.chosun.com.
Sources
- news.sbs.co.kr: Trump Hints at 'Soon' Trade Deal with Canada, Plays Down USMCA Withdrawal | SBS 뉴스 (2026-09-13)
- biz.chosun.com: Trump signals quick Canada trade deal, keeps USMCA while tariffs escalate - CHOSUNBIZ (2026-09-13)
- asiae.co.kr: Trump Hints at Easing Trade Tensions, Says "Agreement with Canada Soon" (2026-09-13)
- union-bulletin.com: Trump sees Canada deal 'fairly soon,' downplays leaving USMCA - Union-Bulletin (2026-09-13)
- ground.news: Trump Sees Canada Deal 'Fairly Soon,' Downplays Leaving USMCA - Ground News (2026-09-13)
- rawstory.com: Ridicule as confused Trump asks of his own deal: 'What does that mean?' - Raw Story (2026-09-13)
- ntd.com: Trump Says Trade Deal With Canada Could Happen 'Fairly Soon' - NTD News (2026-09-13)