Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday night that, if elected president, Hillary Clinton would likely support the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal she previously opposed. Commenting on the trade deal that Clinton came out against during the primaries, a contentious topic throughout the campaign, McAuliffe said from the DNC that “Hillary understands” the need to “do TPP” to prevent China from breaking the rules. Asked specifically by Politico if Clinton would do a U-turn and back the deal, he said, “Yes. Listen, she was in support of it. There were specific things in it she wants fixed.” Both McAuliffe’s spokesman and a representative for the Clinton campaign later walked this back. John Podesta, chairman of Clinton’s campaign, took to Twitter to say that McAuliffe’s comments were “flat wrong.” “Hillary opposes TPP BEFORE and AFTER the election. Period. Full stop,” he wrote. A spokesman for McAuliffe said the governor was simply stating what he wanted to see happen, rather than anything Clinton had told him. The TPP, a trade deal with about a dozen Asia-Pacific countries, has been a topic of heated criticism on both sides, and Republican nominee Donald Trump is strictly against it. Many fear the deal would have a negative impact on the U.S. economy.
