NAFTA Explained In 5 Minutes

Everyone in Washington hates it. Should you?

Welcome to the Glad You Asked series, a shame-free zone where we tackle topics you’re too embarrassed to ask even your BFF about. Don’t worry, we gotchu.

In the first debate of the presidential election, Donald Trump argued that “NAFTA is the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere, but certainly ever signed in this country.” He often repeats his wish to “renovate” the deal, and has even called it a “catastrophe.”

But Trump isn’t the first politician to deride NAFTA. Everyone from Ross Perot to Bernie Sanders disparages the deal. Hating on NAFTA might be one of the most unifying activities in Washington; it’s the political equivalent of sitting around a campfire, crooning “Kumbaya.”

Still, there are economists willing to defend the deal. So who’s right? And what exactly does NAFTA do anyway?

A brief history of NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement is exactly what it sounds like — a trade deal between the three North American countries (the United States, Canada and Mexico).

It all began in 1987, when Canada and the US entered into a free trade agreement, which became the precursor to NAFTA. This deal was suspended in 1992, when President…