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ByPaulWiseman The Associated Press WASHINGTON What hap- pened to Donald Trump the "America First" trade war- rior? This week, Trump aban- doned a campaign vow to label China a currency ma- nipulator. Two weeks ago, his administration pro- posed a mild rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he'd pre- viously branded a job-kill- ing "disaster." And his threat to slap harsh tariffs on Chinese goods has given way to a bid to mend fences with Beijing. This hardly resembles the candidate Trump who sold himself as a pugna- cious outsider, hell-bent on upending decades of U.S. support for ever-freer trade to safeguard American jobs from nations that play un- fairly. The recent climb-downs suggest a new president learning that go-it-alone trade policies don't easily work. "The president is begin- ning to adjust his policies to economic reality," says Joshua Meltzer, a special- ist in international trade and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His spokesman, Sean Spicer, has defended Trump's shift on trade is- sues, explaining that his major promise was to de- liver results — not cling to any one policy stance. "The president's tough talk on a variety of subjects was to get results for the American people," Spicer said. Nowhere has Trump's shifting trade policy been clearer — or more jarring — than his reversal on China's handling of its currency. On the campaign trail, Trump told voters that on his first day in the White House, he would label China a cur- rency manipulator, a public shaming that could trigger trade sanctions. Not since 1994 has the United States designated China a cur- rency manipulator. That self-imposed dead- line came and went. As recently as April 2, in an interview with the Fi- nancial Times newspaper, Trump had accused China of keeping its currency ar- tificially low to give its ex- porters an unfair price ad- vantage in world markets. The charge exasperated economists, who over- whelmingly say that while China did manipulate its currency several years ago, it has not done so anytime recently. Far from under- cutting its currency — the yuan — China has instead been spending its foreign reserves to prop up the yuan at a time when many Chinese are pulling money from the country to invest overseas. "It's absurd to call China a currency manipulator at the moment," says Adam Posen, an economist who leads the Peterson Insti- tute for International Eco- nomics, which advocates free trade. The U.S. Treasury De- partment had faced an April 15 deadline to sub- mit a report to Congress declaring whether or not China was a currency ma- nipulator. It was clear, un- der the department's stan- dards, that China was not guilty. In an interview Wednes- day, Trump bowed to real- ity. "They're not currency manipulators," he told The Wall Street Journal. In similar fashion, Trump had vowed to force Mexico and Canada to re- write NAFTA to better protect American work- ers — and to abandon the 23-year-old deal if he didn't get what he wanted. Yet when a draft of his admin- istration's plan for NAFTA leaked last month, it ap- peared to keep much of the agreement intact. Likewise, during the campaign Trump spoke of slapping a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports. Even before he took office, though, his aides were al- ready downplaying the tar- iff threat. 'AMERICA FIRST' WhyTrumpthetradecriticnowoffersanoutstretchedhand ALEXBRANDON—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrives before dinner at Mar-a- Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Fla. Sunriseservicewillbeheldat6:15am at the cross off Baker Rd. (JustafterPlymireRd,turnrightontothegravel/dirt road. It will be clearly marked with a sign. Church service will also be held at 10:15am at First Baptist Church of Red Bluff, 501 Pine Street. Needing a Second Chance? comeandletusintroduceyoutothe giver of hope Jesus Christ. Come and thank Jesus with us for the second chance He gave us for eternal life through His death and resurrection. (John 3:16-17). If you need a second chance in life, 25yearsprofessional experience. QualityWork Very Reasonable Rates Red Bluff Transmission • Automatic • Manual • Computer Diagnosis • Clutches • Transfer Cases • CV Axles CALL TODAY! 529-4493 440 Antelope Blvd. #6 Bob's Youcantmissus... Weonly moved 50 feet!! 1921 ~ 2017 96 TH (530)527-1000 visit us at: www.redbluffroundup.com Likeusonfacebook FRIDAY FAMILY 4 PACK $50 Plus$1.00 processing fee each ticket TICKETS ON SALE NOW! April 21, 22, 23, 2017 Greatest Show On Dirt Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 4/30/17 With coupon Reg. $13.95 | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017 4 A