WASHINGTON // US president Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office on Saturday by saying he had brought “profound change” to Washington and reaffirming that “my only allegiance” is to those he governs.
During an evening trip to Pennsylvania, one of the states that propelled his unlikely election victory, Mr Trump planned to sign an executive order directing the commerce department and the US trade representative to conduct a study of American trade agreements.
The goal is to determine whether the United States is being treated fairly by its trading partners and the 164-nation World Trade Organisation.
Mr Trump was scheduled to visit the Ames tool factory in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, which has manufactured shovels since 1774, and then hold a campaign-style rally in Harrisburg, the state capital.
The president announced earlier this week that he intends to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and begin reworking a trade deal with South Korea, with which the US has a significant trade deficit.
Early on in his tenure, Mr Trump used an executive order to withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration.
“From the first day of my administration, I have governed by a simple idea: My only allegiance is to you, our wonderful citizens,” he said in his weekly radio and internet address.
“Together we are seeing that great achievements are possible when we put American People first. That is why I withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That day was a turning point for our nation. It put the countries of this world on notice that the sell-out of the American worker was over.”
Executive orders due to be signed on Saturday were to be his 31st and 32nd since taking office – the most of any president in his first 100 days since the Second World War. During his election campaign, Mr Trump railed against president Barack Obama’s use of the power, which has the benefit of not needing congressional approval.
* Associated Press
