Free-Trade Deal Like TPP 'Absolutely' Possible Under Trump - US Senator

Multilateral free-trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal are entirely possible if Republican nominee Donald Trump becomes US president, Senator David Perdue of Georgia told Sputnik.

CLEVELAND (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — On Sunday, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort told reporters that the 2016 Republican Party policy doctrine recognize the "distinct impact" of the Trump campaign in calling for trade on a bilateral, not multilateral basis.

Early in the presidential campaign, Trump also proposed imposing heavy tariffs on US trade partners China and Mexico.

"What [Trump] wants is fair trade, it’s what I want," Perdue said on Wednesday. Asked if Trump would support a deal like the TPP, Perdue affirmed, "Absolutely."

On the campaign trail, Trump has been critical of the TPP, and argued that past multilateral trade deals have been poorly negotiated and hurt US workers.

"All I hear Donald Trump saying is we want a level playing field," Perdue said. "He is not anti-trade at all. I know Donald, and I know what he wants."

Perdue is a pro-trade senator who approved giving President Barack Obama the authority to conclude the 12-nation TPP trade deal, which would create the world’s largest global free-trade zone.