President Trump is hosting Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the White House Wednesday to recognize the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which took effect earlier this month.
Mr. Trump’s visit with López Obrador, which is their first, included a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office followed by the signing of a joint declaration at the Rose Garden. This evening, they will hold a working dinner and deliver a joint statement.
Speaking before the agreement was signed in the Rose Garden, Mr. Trump said that “the relationship between the United States and Mexico has never been closer.” He praised López Obrador, calling him a “tough negotiator.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declined an invitation to the gathering at the White House due to scheduled meetings, his office said. Mr. Trump indicated that Trudeau would visit the White House in the future.
“We’ll have a separate day with Canada with them coming down at an appropriate time,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump and López Obrador did not take questions from reporters after the treaty was signed.
The USMCA, a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement, is one of Mr. Trump’s key achievements. He signed the trade deal in January, an event that took place during his impeachment trial in the Senate.
While the USMCA and trade is expected to be a major focus of Mr. Trump’s visit with López Obrador, the White House said the two leaders will also recognize “their shared effort to ensure North America continues strengthening its economic ties while working to combat the coronavirus pandemic.”
Lopez Obrador is the second world leader to meet with Mr. Trump at the White House since the coronavirus effectively brought life in the U.S. to a halt as the country worked to stem its spread. The president met with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the White House last month.
The Mexican president said Tuesday ahead of his trip to the U.S. that he tested negative for the coronavirus, according to reports.
