Trump calls U.S.-Mexico trade one-sided — and here’s the reality

Is a 1994 trade deal with Mexico really as one-sided as President Donald Trump claims? Does Mexico benefit much more than the United States? A close look at trade between the two countries shows the answer is not cut and dried.

On Thursday, Trump quickly escalated tensions with Mexico over how to pay for a border wall and what the new president views as an unfair trade relationship.

In a pair of early-morning tweets, Trump called the 1994 agreement known as NAFTA a “one-side deal from the beginning” and suggested the pending visit by Mexican President Pena Nieto be canceled.

Nieto did exactly that and bowed out, less than a day after criticizing plans for a U.S. border wall. Then hours later the White House floated the idea of a steep tax on Mexican imports. Read more…