It's probably not right for him to say it doesn't "exist". A draft agreement does exist but it isn't yet final.
No matter what you may think of the wisdom of any multi-party trade pact it just isn't realistic to think one can be negotiated fully in public. The process used here, as in all modern trade agreements, allows the administration to negotiate an agreement and then present it to the public and congress for approval/disapproval.
It's fine to insist that there shouldn't be any confidentiality in negotiations, but then also admit that no trade deals will ever get done.
I don’t care if trade deals don’t get done if they must be conducted in secret in order to get them done.
I’ve no love for past trade deals, which in my opinion, have not benefitted the USA. And, honestly, the revelations about this one AND the secrecy, make me want to kill this one now.
That is a false choice. How about another possibility... they clear up the secrecy issues to calm us down?
See the only reason they aren't clearing up the issues we have is because these bad things exist OR worse things exist.
I do not trust my government with the power they have - and hence am not desirous of willfully and affirmatively ceding the executive branch more powers.
They should clear this up.
It’s Obama’s old toothpaste-out-of-the-tube trick, on a grand scale. Once all the countries have agreed to it, what are you gonna do? Go back and have to renegotiate every point with every country? Not feasible. So show it to us first, then to the other countries. Who’s boss here anyway?