A fact sheet circulated by a top Trump trade policy adviser linked the decline of the nation's manufacturing sector to social problems that include abortion and spousal abuse, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The report cited "two people familiar with the matter," adding the two-page document had been "obtained" by the newspaper.
The sheet was prepared and circulated last month by Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy — and "two administration officials confirmed the authenticity of the documents."
"They were presented without any data or information to back up the assertions," the Post reported, and Navarro's information "alarmed other White House officials, who worried that such unverified information could end up steering White House policy."
The two administration officials spoke to the newspaper "on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal documents, which were not released publicly."
In response to a Post query, a White House official said: "We don't comment on purported internal documents.
"The president is working hard on behalf of the American people to make sure our trade agreements are free and fair and benefit the American worker."
In the document, Navarro alleges economic and "socioeconomic" problems have occurred because of a "weakened manufacturing base."
The economic ones include "lost jobs," "depressed wages," and "closed factories," the Post reported.
Among the "socioeconomic costs" are a "higher divorce rate," "increased drug/opioid use," "rising mortality rate," and "higher abortion rate."
President Donald Trump has slammed various U.S. trade agreements, including NAFTA with Canada and Mexico, as having a harsh impact on American workers.
Navarro has urged Trump to favor bilateral trade agreements over NAFTA and other regional accords, the Post reported.
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