White House spokesman Josh Earnest speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 30, 2016. The White House said Augugst 30, 2016 it still hoped to wrap up negotiations on a massive EU-US trade deal by year's end, after France and Germany called the pact into question. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama will send his top trade negotiator to Europe in the coming months, pointedly rejecting French demands that negotiations be halted. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMMNICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images