President Donald Trump has made resetting America’s economic relationship around the globe a top priority for his administration. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump lobs vague threat at WTO

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that the U.S. “will be doing something” if the World Trade Organization does not make changes to the poor treatment he said the U.S. receives.

Trump did not say what steps the U.S. might take against the WTO.


“WTO’s treated the United States very badly and I hope they change their ways. They have been treating us very badly for many, many years and that’s why we were at the big disadvantage with the WTO,” the president said. “And we're not planning anything now, but if they don't treat us properly, we will be doing something.”

Trump has made resetting America’s economic relationship around the globe a top priority for his administration, threatening — and imposing — tariffs onto longtime allies in Europe, Asia and North America. He has also expressed a disdain for multilateral trade agreements, especially NAFTA, which he has demanded be renegotiated. If it is not, Trump has said he will pull the U.S. out of the deal.

The U.S. is a founding member of the WTO, which was created in 1995 and helps set international standards for trade. The president has complained often that the body acts unfairly against the U.S., part of a broader set of complaints that the U.S. is routinely mistreated by trade partners.

