--- title: Donald Trump's Trade Views Changed When He Ran For President description: Donald Trump railed against free trade in a speech on Tuesday. But the anti-globalization view is not a vision Trump has always had canonical: https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-28T23:08:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:03.785Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump Used to Have a Very Different Trade Message og:description: Trump once supported "leaving borders behind" og:url: https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde961e1de6644f2f/698899e75f570f1f6db21871/donald-trump-june-28-campaign-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Donald Trump Delivers Trade Policy Address In Pennsylvania og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump Used to Have a Very Different Trade Message twitter:description: Trump once supported "leaving borders behind" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde961e1de6644f2f/698899e75f570f1f6db21871/donald-trump-june-28-campaign-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Had a Very Different Message About Trade Before He Ran For President > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1b8d999d-d108-4f28-a4e0-58b2275702f9&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1b8d999d-d108-4f28-a4e0-58b2275702f9&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=1b8d999d-d108-4f28-a4e0-58b2275702f9&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Donald Trump Hails Brexit Vote: ‘People Want to Take Their Country Back’ [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump Hails Brexit Vote: ‘People Want to Take Their Country Back’](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PwNpB1NQ.m3u8) (1:07)  _Published 2016-06-24. Donald Trump on Friday drew a connection between the United Kingdom’s historic vote to leave the European Union and his own political rise in the United States._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 28, 2016 11:08 PM UTC  Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a policy speech at Alumisource in Monessen, Pa., on June 28, 2016. Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a policy speech at Alumisource in Monessen, Pa., on June 28, 2016.Jeff Swensen—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 28, 2016 11:08 PM UTC With the aid of a teleprompter, [Donald Trump on Tuesday](http://time.com/4386335/donald-trump-trade-speech-transcript/) repeated the defiant anthem of his campaign: selfish businesses are sending American jobs overseas, and politicians have let it happen by approving bad trade policies. “Our politicians have aggressively pursued a policy of globalization, moving our jobs, our wealth and our factories to Mexico and overseas,” Trump said in a speech in Monessen, Pennsylvania. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to declare our economic independence once again.” He said the United States should rip up its current trade deals if it cannot renegotiate them and crack down on “cheaters.” It was the most aggressive portrait of American economic policy Trump has yet given, one that squared with his campaign slogan, “America First.” But that is not a vision Trump has always had. In a blog post written just three years ago, [Trump called for global unity and international economic interdependence](http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/22/business/opinion-donald-trump-europe/), writing that there were important opportunities to do business in Europe. [And in a 2005 essay](https://web.archive.org/web/20060507011645/http:/donaldtrump.trumpuniversity.com/default.asp?item=98255), Trump said that outsourcing jobs is “not always a terrible thing,” arguing for a more nuanced view of shipping jobs out of the United States. Trump’s views in those two posts bear little resemblance to his apocalyptic view of globalization today. Though Trump has long railed against bad trade deals, his call on Tuesday for America to cut off much of its commerce with the rest of the world is at odds with his past optimism about international economic cooperation. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, Trump wrote in 2013 said that businesses could work in a more unified world. Trump advocated for “global unity” and abandoning borders. “We will have to leave borders behind and go for global unity when it comes to financial stability,” Trump wrote. “The near meltdown we experienced a few years ago made it clear that our economic health depended on dependence on each other to do the right thing,” he wrote. “We are now closer to having an economic community in the best sense of the term—we work with each other for the benefit of all.” He wrote that Europe presented a good investment option for American businesses. “Europe is a terrific place for investment,” Trump wrote. “I am proud to have built a great golf course in Scotland after searching throughout Europe for five years for the right location. I’ve seen many beautiful places.” By contrast, Trump on Tuesday called for an agenda of “America first,” also the name of a interventionist organization opposed to entering World War II. “America changed its policy from promoting development in America — in, in, in America — to promoting development in other nations,” Trump said. “We have become more dependent on foreign countries than ever before.” And Trump charged politicians with helping American companies to move overseas. “Our politicians took away from the people their means of making a living and supporting their families,” he said on Tuesday. “Skilled craftsmen and tradespeople and factory workers have seen the jobs they love shipped thousands and thousands of miles away.” But in 2005, Trump explained the merits of outsourcing jobs. “We hear terrible things about outsourcing jobs — how sending work outside of our companies is contributing to the demise of American businesses,” Trump wrote in 2005\. “But in this instance I have to take the unpopular stance that it is not always a terrible thing.” Trump has spoken in the past about how Americans are getting “ripped off” by foreign countries and bad trade negotiations, but he has built much of his financial empire through international brands that rely on foreign labor. Much of Trump-branded products, including his suits, ties, light fixtures, furniture, picture frames and other business lines are made overseas. The Clinton campaign has repeatedly attacked Trump for moving jobs abroad. It has become a key pillar of their campaign: that Trump has hurt American workers through his businesses practices, in particular by moving jobs overseas. “He’s been a hypocrite when it comes to talking about made in America, and then outsourcing jobs,” Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, a prominent Clinton ally, said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. “The reality is Donald Trump lines his pockets at expense of American workers, period.” Trump said in 2005 that business often need to move overseas to remain competitive. “I know that doesn’t make it any easier for people whose jobs have been outsourced overseas, but if a company’s only means of survival is by farming jobs outside its walls, then sometimes it’s a necessary step,” Trump wrote then. “The other option might be to close its doors for good.” “Losing jobs is never a good thing, but we have to look at the bigger picture,” Trump wrote. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Had a Very Different Message About Trade Before He Ran For President","datePublished":"2016-06-28T23:08:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:42:03.785Z","description":"Trump once supported \"leaving borders behind\"","url":"https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde961e1de6644f2f/698899e75f570f1f6db21871/donald-trump-june-28-campaign-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde961e1de6644f2f/698899e75f570f1f6db21871/donald-trump-june-28-campaign-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump Delivers Trade Policy Address In Pennsylvania","caption":"Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a policy speech at Alumisource in Monessen, Pa., on June 28, 2016.","creditText":"Jeff Swensen—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/","name":"Donald Trump Had a Very Different Message About Trade Before He Ran For President"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Donald Trump Hails Brexit Vote: ‘People Want to Take Their Country Back’","description":"Donald Trump on Friday drew a connection between the United Kingdom’s historic vote to leave the European Union and his own political rise in the United States.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PwNpB1NQ/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-06-24T15:48:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PwNpB1NQ.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/","duration":"PT1M7S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4386332/donald-trump-trade-speech/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```