--- title: Kavanaugh Creeps into Trump's Trade Deal Announcement description: President Donald Trump wanted to trumpet his new trade deal but couldn't avoid the glare of the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh. canonical: https://time.com/5411561/donald-trump-usmca-trade-deal-kavanaugh/ author: Brian Bennett article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-01T17:41:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:45:41.603Z article:section: Politics og:title: Kavanaugh Investigation Overshadows President Trump's Triumphant Trade Deal Announcement og:description: President Donald Trump wanted to trumpet his new trade deal but couldn't avoid the glare of the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh. og:url: https://time.com/5411561/donald-trump-usmca-trade-deal-kavanaugh/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta415a05806b477e6/69893b8bbc6cfca13c3e712f/trump-nafta-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5472 og:image:height: 3078 og:image:alt: trump-nafta-press-conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kavanaugh Investigation Overshadows President Trump's Triumphant Trade Deal Announcement twitter:description: President Donald Trump wanted to trumpet his new trade deal but couldn't avoid the glare of the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta415a05806b477e6/69893b8bbc6cfca13c3e712f/trump-nafta-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kavanaugh Investigation Overshadows President Trump's Triumphant Trade Deal Announcement > 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=ca9116d2-f751-4e96-8241-25fd97e0869b&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. 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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.  by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/)  ## Brian Bennett Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME. Oct 1, 2018 5:41 PM UTC  President Donald Trump speaks as he announces a revamped North American free trade deal in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Oct. 1, 2018. President Donald Trump speaks as he announces a revamped North American free trade deal in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Oct. 1, 2018. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/REX/Shutterstock  by [Brian Bennett](https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/)  ## Brian Bennett Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME. Oct 1, 2018 5:41 PM UTC President Donald Trump wanted to trumpet the new trade deal his administration struck with Canada and Mexico just hours before – but in the end, he couldn’t avoid the glare of the FBI investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Trump initially refused to answer multiple questions about Kavanaugh at his press conference Monday morning. He repeatedly cut off and berated reporters assembled in the White House Rose Garden, calling the press “loco,” and insisting he wanted to talk trade. But after several minutes, Trump relented and launched into an extended back-and-forth over the latest developments in the fight over Kavanaugh. Trump said he has a “very open mind” as [the FBI looks into allegations against Kavanaugh](http://time.com/5411031/white-house-trump-limits-fbi-kavanaugh/) and said the FBI should be interviewing “anyone they want within reason.” But Trump wants the investigation to be limited to one week. “We don’t want to go on a witch hunt,” Trump said, using one of his favorite phrases for describing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into his campaign contacts with Russia. Trump gave a rambling and occasionally lukewarm defense of Kavanaugh, calling him a “fine man,” but saying he was surprised to hear Kavanaugh discuss his beer drinking. “I can honestly say I never had a beer in my entire life. It’s one of my only good traits,” said Trump. “Can you imagine if I had what a mess I’d be?” Trump also delivered harsh broadsides against Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Dianne Feinstein of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey, Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee. Trump said they have treated Kavanaugh “horribly.” At one point the President said he’d seen a Democratic senator in “very, very bad” and “somewhat compromising” situations. He wouldn’t name the senator or elaborate on the allegation, joking that he would save it for a book. Trump started out the press conference calling his deal with Canada and Mexico – which he dubbed the USMCA (United States, Mexico, Canada Agreement) – “the most important trade deal we’ve made by far.” The new terms, Trump said, will transform the U.S. “back into a manufacturing powerhouse” and “allow us to reclaim a supply chain that has been off shored to the world.” The revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which governs more than $1.2 trillion in cross-border trading, Trump said, would give American farmers and ranchers cheaper access to markets in Mexico and Canada for selling poultry, eggs, dairy products and wheat, among other products. In order for cars to be sold in the U.S. without tariffs, the terms would require 75% of the automotive parts to be manufactured in North America, Trump said. He added that he also demanded that a large portion of every car to be made by “high wage workers.” The new terms also encourage more drugs to be manufactured in the U.S., Trump said, “We don’t like getting them from foreign countries. We don’t know what’s happening with those drugs, how they’re being made – too important.” The revised agreement will be signed at the end of November, Trump said, and will need to be approved by Congress. “But anything you submit to Congress, there’s trouble,” Trump said. Trump acknowledged Democrats may control at least one house in Congress after the midterm elections. “They might be willing to throw out one of the great deals for workers, for people, for political purposes,” Trump said. “They have 2020 in mind.” Canada [returned to the overhauled deal just before Sunday’s midnight deadline](http://time.com/5411252/nafta-canada-u-s-agreement/) after weeks of acrimonious, high-stakes negotiations. Trump canceled a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week in New York City because the President didn’t feel Trudeau was ready to come to an agreement. “There was a lot of tension,” Trump acknowledged. “You know when it ended? About twelve o’clock last night.” Trump said Mexico’s outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto has “done a good job” on trade. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to terminate NAFTA if he didn’t get better terms. After threatening to get out of the pact entirely earlier this year, he’s made an effort to renegotiate the terms and rename it USMCA. “It’s not NAFTA redone, it’s a brand new deal,” Trump said. The deal may avert a trade war with Canada, avoiding escalating tit-for-tat tariffs with the U.S. neighbor that could have impacted American businesses. Trump acknowledged he’s using the threat of trade barriers to get try to bring China, India, the European Union, and others to better trading terms as well. “We’re using tariffs very successfully to negotiate. If we are unable to get fair deal, when we’ll have tariffs,” Trump said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5411561/donald-trump-usmca-trade-deal-kavanaugh/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5411561/donald-trump-usmca-trade-deal-kavanaugh/"},"headline":"Kavanaugh Investigation Overshadows President Trump's Triumphant Trade Deal Announcement","datePublished":"2018-10-01T17:41:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T11:45:41.603Z","description":"President Donald Trump wanted to trumpet his new trade deal but couldn't avoid the glare of the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh.","url":"https://time.com/5411561/donald-trump-usmca-trade-deal-kavanaugh/","keywords":["Donald Trump","Supreme Court","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta415a05806b477e6/69893b8bbc6cfca13c3e712f/trump-nafta-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Bennett","jobTitle":"Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/brian-bennett/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta415a05806b477e6/69893b8bbc6cfca13c3e712f/trump-nafta-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"trump-nafta-press-conference","caption":"Trump speaks from the Rose Garden","creditText":"Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/REX/Shutterstock","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/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5411561/donald-trump-usmca-trade-deal-kavanaugh/","name":"Kavanaugh Investigation Overshadows President Trump's Triumphant Trade Deal Announcement"}}]}] ```