Trump has already told him he wants to quit the WTO: Axios

GENEVA (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has repeatedly told top White House officials he wants the United States to withdraw from the World Trade Organization, a move that would be potentially calamitous for global trade, the news website Axios reported on Friday, citing people involved in the discussions.

One person who has discussed the subject with Trump, according to Axios, said the president frequently told advisers: "I do not know why we're in it. The WTO is designed by the United States. "

The 164-member WTO is the only international organization that deals with the rules of trade "

A US withdrawal from it would require an act of the US Congress, and Trump was unlikely to persuade the lawmakers to carry out its wish, the Axios report said.

"Sources with knowledge of the situation say the Trump administration will continue to call attention to various ways in which the United States encounters what some Trump advisers perceive is unfair and unbalanced treatment within the framework of the WTO," the report said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last Friday, the United States ramped up its challenge to the WTO, telling the Geneva-based economic organization that it could not be vetoed if they took longer than the 90 days.

Statement by U.S. Ambassador Dennis Shea Threatened at a key element of trade enforcement at the 23-year-old WTO: binding dispute settlement, which is widely seen as a major bulwark against protectionism.

It came as a trump, which has risen against the backdrop of the European Union, and has been reported to be a major threat to European Union cars, the latest in an unprecedented campaign of threats and tariffs to punish U.S. trading partners.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has been asked about the United States of America.

"I can assure you that we are not going anywhere that has any significant growth," he told Fox Business Network.