Former President George W. Bush says “anger shouldn’t drive policy” and is defending encouraging global trade through pacts like the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Bush spoke Tuesday at a Dallas institute named for him. He said he’d refrain from criticizing President-elect Donald Trump and other White House successors.
But he suggested that anger and frustration helped decide last week’s presidential election — and shouldn’t shape future policy.
Instead, he said policy should be influenced by “what’s best for the people who are angry.”
Addressing a reunion of the North American Strategy for Competitiveness, Bush also defended NAFTA, which Trump has sharply criticized.
Bush said expanded trade helped close wage gaps while benefiting Mexico, Canada and the U.S. He also dismissed suggestion by “someone” that NAFTA is “a four-letter word.”
Associated Press
