@Tacks
Just to give you more context, this question is an important one and I will explain why.
Before THIS Trump term, you HAD to put on your waiver application "in the future I may also want to apply for a TN/O/E Visa if you planned to apply for one once your waiver was granted.
We know this because I had MANY clients who had 5 year waivers, and when they would try and apply for these visas, they had to get a brand new waiver with this designation.
I have a friend who works for Homeland Security (he now works in Hawaii but used to work at Pearson and trained with me in MMA) and he explained it this way. When they are considering your waiver application, the fact you MIGHT want to apply for a VISA is important in their consideration. Many clients I have are doing waivers not because of criminal records, but for things such as "applying for asylum-application rejected" "misrepresentation" and "overstaying" as well as "working illegally". If you apply for a waiver and do not tell them your intentions, they may have given you a waiver for a shorter period for example.
Now, they have changed this again. Instead of simply ignoring the "I may wish to apply for____ in the future" or adding it to the waiver, they STOP the application, and ASK, "do you want the waiver? Or should he close the file so you can apply for the Visa?"
This makes no sense, since if you are INADMISSIBLE, you cannot get a visa, you cannot even VISIT. The waiver "waives" your inadmissibility.
Anyways, this is the REAL reason this has come up. My advice? Since they are making it difficult to get these Visas anyways, and since 80% of 1st waivers are 1 year anyways, just apply for the waiver, and then hopefully if you get an opportunity to apply for a TN visa or any other visa, just apply separately.