Barack Obama Quotes

Free trade is good but not as good as fair trade.

I'm not opposed to free trade if it's fair trade. But I am opposed to bad trade deals.

Not only must we fight to end disastrous unfettered free trade agreements with China, Mexico, and other low wage countries, we must fight to fundamentally rewrite our trade agreements so that American products, not jobs, are our number one export.

But, we have had the debate in our country now for a number of years as to whether or not free trade agreements are good for economic growth and economic opportunity in creating jobs and lifting people out of poverty.

I have long been a vocal advocate of reciprocal free trade though that position did not endear me to my own political party. And I continue to strongly believe in free and fair international trade.

The global economy shall not run without the consent of the workers….We demand fair trade, not free trade.

You cannot close down free trade. What you've got to do is open up markets.

[N]o real leader can aspire to champion both the logic and the morality of free trade without confronting the practice that undermines both: currency manipulation.

In Illinois, we've seen job losses from agreements like CAFTA and NAFTA. Those agreements didn't help American workers - and they haven't brought improvements to the lives of workers in other countries, either.

Free trade is an important component of our economy, but it also has to be fair. Too often, the needs of American workers are ignored while the interests of huge corporations are the focus of these trade deals.

I'm a big free trader. But it has to be fair.

Unfortunately, the United States has entered into several free trade agreements that do not sufficiently protect and support our manufacturing industries and the millions of American workers they employ.

You can’t have free trade of others don’t play by the same set of rules that our guys play by…. Free trade works if we open our markets and they open theirs.

I am not a free trader. I am not a free trader. I believe an American worker who has worked hard and played by the rules should be rewarded. I don't believe that companies who take their jobs overseas should be rewarded with tax breaks.

The closest we can come to free trade is illuminating the barriers to free trade.

In 200 years when the United States will get all that it can from protectionism, it too will adopt free trade.

Free trade is not just an economic opportunity, it is a moral imperative:

Free trade is opposed by most people who call themselves “free traders”.

Free trade ideas often look great in prospect but less in retrospect.

We need fair and free trade.

We have to be vigilant against protectionism and be constantly making the argument for free trade.

I agree with President Trump that our trade deals need to be renegotiated so they are more fair to American workers.

If Mr. Trump wants to work with us to make sure that trade works for the American worker, not just CEOs of corporate America, you have got a partner, partner.

Our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade.

Likewise, free trade does not, as evidenced in CAFTA, mean fair trade.