Ronald Reagan’s budget director slammed President Donald Trump as an “ignoramus” and a “Neanderthal” over his understanding of trade and fiscal policy.
During an interview on Bloomberg Television, David Stockman characterized Trump’s pending NAFTA replacement deal with Mexico as essentially the old NAFTA with Trump screw-ups added in.
“There was never a problem with NAFTA anyway, and what he has done is basically remove the name and complicated the machinery [and] given a big wage increase to Mexican workers,” Stockman, who served as the director of Management and Budget in the Reagan administration from 1981to 1985, said on Thursday.
Stockman also described the deal as a “sideshow.”
“And it is proof that Trump is an absolute Neanderthal on trade, has no idea what he’s doing,” Stockman said. “He is a complete ignoramus on fiscal policy and the debt — which is soaring.”
The deal with Mexico would require up to 45 percent of cars to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour. Though it’s intended to keep jobs in the U.S., it will likely result in a massive pay hike for Mexicans, Stockman said.
Check out the rest of what Stockman had to say in the video above.