The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that earlier this week, U.S. 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 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which he negotiated during his first term. The Globe's Nathan VanderKlippe writes that U.S. ambassador 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 USMCA. "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!" Playing the victim is never far from the Trump playbook. "They have to treat us better," he said this week of Canada and Mexico.