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One day last month, Donald Trump was in the Oval Office coaching his top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, on the art of the deal.

“You’ve got 30 days and if you don’t get concessions then I’m pulling out,” the U.S. politics and business website Axios reported the president as saying, a reference to the U.S.-Korea trade deal.

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“Okay, well I’ll tell the Koreans they’ve got 30 days,” Lighthizer replied.

“No, no, no,” Trump interjected. “That’s not how you negotiate. You don’t tell them they’ve got 30 days. You tell them, ‘This guy’s so crazy he could pull out any minute.’ And by the way, I might.”

The White House did not dispute Axios’ account — which is instructive, because the same dynamic is at play in the NAFTA negotiations

They will enter their fourth round next Wednesday in Washington. Trump has already tweeted that both Canada and Mexico are “being very difficult” in the negotiations and he “may have to terminate.”