WASHINGTON—Charting a new American course abroad, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, using one of his first actions in office to reject a centerpiece of Barack Obama’s attempts to counter China and deepen U.S. ties in Asia.
For Trump, the move was a fulfillment of a central campaign promise. He has repeatedly cast the 12-nation trade pact—which was eagerly sought by U.S. allies in Asia—as detrimental to American businesses.
“Great thing for the American worker that we just did,” Trump said in brief remarks as he signed a notice in the Oval Office.
The Obama administration spent years negotiating the Pacific Rim pact, though the mood in Washington on the deal soured over time. Obama never sent the accord to Congress for ratification, making Trump’s actions Monday largely symbolic.
In addition to his executive action on TPP, Trump signed memorandums freezing most federal government hiring—with an exception for the military—and reinstating a ban on providing federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option. The regulation, known as the “Mexico City Policy,” has been a political volleyball, instituted by Republican administrations and rescinded by Democratic ones since 1984.
