NAFTA deal was on Trump's desk, then he tore it up
A preliminary NAFTA deal was given to Trump earlier this month after a compromise on autos but "when the preliminary agreement was put before the president for his approval, he said he actually wanted something else," a report in the Hill Times says.
The Ottawa newspaper said negotiators were working from what they understood to be Trump's negotiating goals and cites a person with knowledge of the talks.
Trump's new version was later rejected outright by Mexico and that's why talks have reached an impasse. The US administration then threatened autos with tariffs based on national security.
The report speculates that Trump prefers to push a deal past the midterm elections so Republicans aren't vulnerable to deal criticism and he can continue to fire up his base by threatening to blow up NAFTA.
