Washington - President Barack Obama on Saturday began a broad sales pitch to the US public about the merits of free trade deals, an area in which he faces stiff resistance from many in his own Democratic party.
Obama has said he wants to work with Congressional Republicans to finalize the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact, an agreement that would stretch from Japan to Chile, covering 40% of the world economy.
"I'm the first to admit that past trade deals haven't always lived up to the hype," Obama said in his weekly address. "But that doesn't mean we should close ourselves off from new opportunities."