The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, June 12, edition that earlier this week, President Donald Trump described the North American Free Trade Agreement as "the worst trade deal ever" and said he is "not looking to renew" the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which he negotiated during his first term. The Globe's Nathan VanderKlippe writes that U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra clarified that the President's remarks should be seen as an invitation to discuss, not as a threat to continental trade. It was the latest expression of a duality that lies at the core of Mr. Trump's often deeply conflicting views on trade. He said on CNN in 1999 that "free trade is a wonderful thing, and I believe in free trade. But, at the same time, it's got to be fair trade." Less than three months after entering the White House for the first time, Mr. Trump agreed to renegotiate NAFTA. His threats to terminate it continued until weeks before agreeing to the USMCA -- which he then celebrated. "Just signed one of the most important, and largest, Trade Deals in U.S. and World History," he wrote on Nov. 30, 2018. The USMCA, he said, "will be fantastic for all!"