President Clinton, accompanied by Vice President Gore, approached a microphone to speak to supporters and the press moments after the House voted 234-200 to pass the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He thanked House Democrats and Republicans for coming together to support the agreement despite efforts to divide the bipartisan effort. Following a short statement, he took two questions from reporters concerning the “leverage” the agreement gives him prior to traveling to Seattle for meetings with Asian leaders at the Asian-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) forum. This event is considered an “address to the nation” because it was carried live by ABC and CNN.