President Trump grinned and gave a thumbs up as he strutted to the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, hoping to shift public attention from his Senate impeachment trial to the signing of a long-promised trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

But even as he made good on his 2016 campaign pledge to replace NAFTA — once Canada ratifies the deal — he kept bringing up impeachment.

President Donald Trump used a signing ceremony for a new North American trade agreement Wednesday to praise Republicans who have defended him during his impeachment trial – and inviting half the sitting GOP senators who are hearing his case.

With the full Senate meeting just hours later during a critical new phase of his impeachment trial, Trump made no effort to mask the power play he and his advisors orchestrated.

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday slammed President Trump for excluding them from a signing ceremony for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an agreement for which they achieved significant changes and won union support.

"Perhaps we were not invited to today’s event on the South Lawn because our presence would be a prominent reminder of our critical leadership in achieving this deal," said Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee.