While President Donald Trump has called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) the “worst trade deal in history,” Americans are split on whether the deal has been good or bad for the U.S. Forty-eight percent say it has been good for the country, while 46% say it is has been bad.
Republican Support for NAFTA Plummets
Perhaps because of Trump’s criticisms of NAFTA, fewer Republicans now than in the past say the agreement has been good for the U.S. Twenty-two percent of Republicans now hold this view, down from 40% in 2004 and 46% in 2000. In contrast, 67% of Democrats now say NAFTA has been good for the country, up from 39% in 2004 and 49% in 2000. While there was essentially no gap in Republicans’ and Democrats’ views of NAFTA from 1997 to 2004, a large partisan divide now exists.
The trajectory of independents’ views has been similar to Democrats, with their support increasing from 37% in 2004 to 53% now. Republicans are the only party group in which support for NAFTA does not reach a majority level.
Via Gallup