by Alec Williams
In June of 2015 Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president of the United States, during which he made his now famous declaration that “[he] will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And [he] will have Mexico pay for that wall.” Mexico’s President Peña Nieto later fired back saying there was “no way” that Mexico would pay for such a wall.
Over a year later, Donald Trump made his way to Mexico and back, for a meeting with President Nieto and a press conference on Wednesday. The presidential meeting was meant to precede a speech Trump held in Arizona concerning immigration Wednesday night. Trump said he and Nieto would work together to end the immigration issue shared between the two countries.
“This is a humanitarian disaster,” Trump said. “The dangerous treks, the abuse by gangs and cartels, and the extreme physical dangers, and it must be solved. It must be solved quickly. Not fair to the people anywhere worldwide, you can truly say, but certainly not fair to the people of Mexico or the people of the United States.”
The meeting ended with a press conference in which Trump referred to President Nieto as a friend.
“Both of our countries will work together for mutual good,” Trump said as he concluded the event. “and most importantly, for the mutual good of our people. Mr. President, I want to thank you. It is been a tremendous honor. And I call you a friend.”
The meeting however has already reached shaky grounds as the two later disagreed on what occurred. When asked if the border wall was discussed, Trump said that the wall and who would be paying the bill were not discussed. President Nieto then contradicted this statement when a spokesperson told Reuters that “Peña told Trump that Mexico would not pay for Trump’s border wall.”
Trump made his immigration speech in Arizona the same night as his visit to Mexico, where he vowed to deport any person in the United States that has entered illegally.
“The time has come for a new immigration commission to develop a new set of reforms to our legal immigration system in order to achieve the following goals,” Trump said. Expressing a push for keeping immigration numbers “within historical norms” and choosing possible immigrants based on their “likelihood for success.”
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, later denounced Trump. “It becomes increasingly difficult to see that he’s going to change, so I don’t expect that I’ll be able to support him in November,” Flake said on CBS.
President Nieto continued to face critics in Mexico against Trump’s visit to the country days after. On Sept. 1, Nieto spoke at a town hall meeting and defended his decision to invite the American candidate.
“What is a fact is that in the face of candidate Trump’s postures and positions, which clearly represent a threat to the future of Mexico, it was necessary to talk,” Nieto said. “It was necessary to make him feel and know why Mexico does not accept his positions.” Nieto has become increasingly unpopular following the visit, his approval rating dropping to 25 percent.
