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WASHINGTON — It was once among the most predictable spectacles on the American political calendar — but with Donald Trump on the dais, there’s as much suspense surrounding tonight’s state of the union address as there is in the race to choose his Democratic challenger.
Still, there are two safe bets: a victory lap on trade, with plenty of crowing about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and more than a few volleys aimed at the president’s political rivals.
Former cabinet minister Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says he’ll be listening for evidence of stability on the trade file — in particular Trump’s vision for the so-called second phase of a trade deal with China.
Beatty says even with the USMCA soon to be the law of the land, Canadian businesses would be wise to continue looking to expand into markets beyond the U.S., which remains Canada’s largest trading partner.
And he says the political uncertainty and upheaval that has marked the last three years isn’t going away any time soon, regardless of who ends up winning the White House in November.
Trump sees the USMCA, a retooling of NAFTA that now needs only Canada’s final approval to go into effect, as a crowning political achievement that’s expected to be a key plank in his re-election effort this year.
Tonight, Trump is likely to declare himself vindicated on the eve of a key impeachment vote Wednesday in the Senate, where Republicans are all but certain to acquit the president, despite the best efforts of House Democrats.
And he’s sure to seize on the chaos surrounding the Iowa caucuses and the delayed Democratic results of a kickoff vote that’s supposed to set the stage for primary season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2020.
The Canadian Press
