President Donald Trump said in a new interview NAFTA could be used to pay for a new wall at the United States' border with Mexico.
Speaking about one of his signature campaign promises with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said a renegotiation of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement — which includes Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. — could provide cost savings to the U.S. that could be used to pay for the wall.
Mexico, Trump said, "can pay for it indirectly through NAFTA. We make a good deal on NAFTA, and, say, I'm going to take a small percentage of that money and it's going toward the wall. Guess what? Mexico's paying."
Trump noted the upcoming presidential election in Mexico, which will be decided in July, is throwing a wrinkle into the negotiations.
"I understand that a lot of things are hard to negotiate prior to an election," he said. "They have an election coming up fairly shortly. I understand that makes it a little bit difficult for them."
Trump added he would kill NAFTA altogether if the parties involved cannot come up with a solution that is more beneficial to the U.S. than it currently is.
Trump has pledged since his campaign to build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it, and he continues to insist that. Many have expressed skepticism over such a move, but ideas that have been floated include cutting off remittances from the U.S. to Mexico until that government pays for the wall and various tax adjustments.
Lawmakers are currently working to craft immigration legislation that would include funding for a border wall, protection for DACA recipients, and the removal of the visa lottery system and chain migration from immigration law.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.