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Perhaps nowhere has the Republican Party's accommodation of Donald Trump been more awkward and more shameless than on the issue of trade. And nowhere has the GOP's retreat on a core principle — that free and competitive commerce across national borders is a fundamental element of capitalism — been more complete and humiliating.

Over the weekend, Trump again denounced the North American Free Trade Agreement as "the worst economic deal in the history of our country" and "a horror show" — all while introducing his NAFTA-backing running mate, Mike Pence. And on Monday, the GOP convention in Cleveland approved a platform that reads like a criminal indictment of China's economic practices and is considerably more hostile to trade than the one adopted four years ago.

Republican leaders in Congress have already given up on scheduling a vote this year on the 12-nation trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which excludes China and would help American movie makers, software designers, drug companies and other industries that benefit from international commerce. The party platform says TPP approval shouldn't be rushed or undertaken in a lame duck Congress.

Such a message no doubt goes down well in hard-hit Rust Belt communities where the presidential election will be contested. In recent decades, certain manufacturing industries, such as textiles, have contracted severely, and most government programs to retrain displaced workers have been a shambles.

Even so, a message that focuses only on the casualties of trade is misleading and manipulative. It is a bad idea for a party that has long branded itself as the party of free enterprise. It is even worse news for the nation as a whole. Trade is a major force behind innovation and improvements in quality that help keep the American economy on its toes.

Trump is right about trade deals: Opposing view

Without competition from Japan, Detroit would probably still be making the shoddy cars that were its hallmark in the 1970s. And without the ability to sell globally, companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google would probably not be the iconic brands they are today.

Trade gets a bad rap — from progressive Democrats as well Trump backers — because its benefits are taken for granted, its beneficiaries are hard to identify and organize, and its victims are readily recognizable when a plant closes. But it does have clear upsides that include lower costs and more choices for consumers, and thriving exports in agriculture, technology, health care, financial services and even many areas of manufacturing.

A strong case can be made that technology, and not trade, is the major disruptive force (for good and bad) in employment. This can be seen in the fact that manufacturing output has continued to grow even as 5 million manufacturing jobs have been eliminated since 2000. It can also be seen in the declines in employment in retail, travel, media and other industries not impacted by trade.

Yet, to hear Trump talk, one would think that China, Mexico and a few other countries are responsible for all disruptions in the workforce, and that Americans get nothing out of trade. If the GOP seeks a vibrant future — for itself and for the U.S. economy — it will turn away from Trump’s defeatist trade policies.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

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