"They view certain countries like China, India, many countries - they've viewed them as growing, they are growing nations. Well, they have grown, and they had tremendous advantages. We are not letting that happen anymore", he said. Trump has repeatedly reiterated his criticism of the WTO, claiming that the US is disadvantaged as a member of the global bloc. The US president has also repeatedly called the WTO a "catastrophe" and a "disaster" for the US. Trump recently directed US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to secure changes in the group that would prevent developing countries from utilizing regulatory loopholes.

The White House pointed out in a memorandum that China and many other countries continue to style themselves as developing countries “allowing them to enjoy the benefits that come with that status and seek weaker commitments than those made by other WTO members”. Shortly after issuing the memorandum, Trump said in a statement that the WTO is "broken" when the world's richest countries claim to be developing countries and get special treatment to avoid WTO rules.