It was reported last week that Trump has repeatedly told his advisers and staff that he wants to withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO), but Axios now reports that his staff have actually drafted legislation to do that.
The text of the legislation, which was leaked to an unknown number of outlets, would allow Trump to effectively withdraw from the WTO without formally doing so.
The bill, titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act," would give Trump unilateral power to ignore the two most basic principles of the WTO and negotiate one-on-one with any country [...]
"It would be the equivalent of walking away from the WTO and our commitments there without us actually notifying our withdrawal," said a source familiar with the bill.
"The good news is Congress would never give this authority to the president," the source added, describing the bill as "insane."
Indeed, even our current Republican-controlled Congress would not and could not pass this bill.
According to Axios, the only person in Trump's inner circle who thinks the United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act, or (FART) Act...
...is a good idea is Trump's lizard-brained trade adviser Peter Navarro.
I'm half convinced some legislative aide titled this the FART Act on purpose. Maybe that's the real reason Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short is leaving the White House. Short and Navarro reportedly clashed over the FART Act.
Even if you mistakenly and wrongly believe the WTO is biased against us, withdrawing from it would allow the rest of the world to do whatever they want to us without any legal recourse. Our only method of response would be even more tariffs.