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Mexican president cancels US visit over Trump's order to build border wall Mexican president cancels US visit over Trump's order to build border wall
(35 minutes later)
Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, has cancelled a scheduled visit to Washington next week to meet with Donald Trump, after the US president signed an executive order to move forward on construction of a border wall and repeated his claim that Mexico would be forced to pay for it.Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, has cancelled a scheduled visit to Washington next week to meet with Donald Trump, after the US president signed an executive order to move forward on construction of a border wall and repeated his claim that Mexico would be forced to pay for it.
Peña Nieto tweeted on Thursday that he had informed the White House that he would not attended the meeting with Trump that had been scheduled for Tuesday. Peña Nieto tweeted on Thursday that he had informed the White House that he would not attend the meeting with Trump that had been scheduled for Tuesday.
“Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the US to achieve agreements which benefit both nations,” he added.“Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the US to achieve agreements which benefit both nations,” he added.
The decision came after a day in which Peña Nieto appeared to dither over an the appropriate response to a US administration considered the most hostile to Mexico since the Mexican-American war of the 1840s. The decision came after a day in which Peña Nieto appeared to dither over the appropriate response to a US administration considered one of the most hostile to Mexico since the Mexican-American war of the 1840s.
Peña Nieto had come under sustained criticism at home for failing to come up with a decisive strategy to deal with Trump’s combative policies, and was under growing pressure to pull out of the meeting.Peña Nieto had come under sustained criticism at home for failing to come up with a decisive strategy to deal with Trump’s combative policies, and was under growing pressure to pull out of the meeting.
In a short video statement on Wednesday night, he once again declared that “Mexico will not pay for any wall”, but stopped short of cancelling the trip to Washington.In a short video statement on Wednesday night, he once again declared that “Mexico will not pay for any wall”, but stopped short of cancelling the trip to Washington.
On Thursday morning, Trump appeared to be goading his Mexican counterpart into pulling out of the visit, saying on Twitter: “The US has a $60bn trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of Nafta with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost.On Thursday morning, Trump appeared to be goading his Mexican counterpart into pulling out of the visit, saying on Twitter: “The US has a $60bn trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of Nafta with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost.
“If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”“If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”
Peña Nieto has seemed to be constantly wrong-footed by Trump since he launched his election campaign with a barrage of explicitly anti-Mexican rhetoric. The Mexican president’s perceived failure to stand up to Trump during a visit to Mexico City in August helped drive down his personal popularity ratings to a historic low of 12%. Many Mexicans welcomed Peña Nieto’s decision, but asked why it had taken so long to make a stand – and why it was not included in Wednesday night’s video.
Peña Nieto appeared frozen in an impossible situation: agreeing to pay for Trump’s wall would stoke domestic outrage. Not paying could provoke problems with Trump’s team, however. “It’s good, but too late. He should have immediately announced it immediately,” said Carlos Bravo Regidor, professor at the Centre for Research and Teaching in Economics. “The fact that he has not been able to turn Trump into a piñata for national unity is turning [Peña Nieto] into that piñata.”
That indecision has only fueled criticism at home. “It was tepid and a step backwards,” said Fernando Dworak, a political consultant in Mexico City. “He needed to show strength. Something like: we’re withdrawing from all dialogue until there are conditions to talk again.”
The Mexican president has seemed to be constantly wrongfooted by Trump since he launched his election campaign with a barrage of explicitly anti-Mexican rhetoric. Peña Nieto’s perceived failure to stand up to Trump during a visit to Mexico City in August helped drive down his personal popularity ratings to a historic low of 12%.
Peña Nieto appeared frozen in an impossible situation: agreeing to pay for Trump’s wall would stoke domestic outrage; not paying could provoke problems with Trump’s team.
That indecision has only fuelled criticism at home.
Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, a leftist former presidential candidate, told an audience in Mexico City: “If a [Mexican] presidential visit is being announced, he will be received there by having the door slammed in his face.Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, a leftist former presidential candidate, told an audience in Mexico City: “If a [Mexican] presidential visit is being announced, he will be received there by having the door slammed in his face.
“I think the least we can do in these conditions would be not to show up, cancel the visit to the United States and find a dignified position for Mexico.”“I think the least we can do in these conditions would be not to show up, cancel the visit to the United States and find a dignified position for Mexico.”
The diplomat spat comes as US congressional leaders are facing questions about how to actually pay for the border wall and the budgetary impact such a massive project would have. Others have been more direct, including ex-president Vicente Fox – who has targeted Trump with profanity-laden tweets for more than a year.
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said on Thursday a border wall would cost between $12bn and $15bn, but neither he nor the House speaker, Paul Ryan, would say how that cost would be offset in the federal budget. Sean Spicer, I've said this to @realDonaldTrump and now I'll tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall. #FuckingWall
The diplomatic spat comes as US congressional leaders are facing questions about how to actually pay for the border wall – and the budgetary impact such a huge project would have.
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said on Thursday that a border wall would cost between $12bn and $15bn, but neither he nor the House speaker, Paul Ryan, would say how that cost would be offset in the federal budget.
Speaking to reporters at the Republican congressional retreat in Philadelphia, Ryan dodged questions about whether the wall would be paid for with budget cuts or new revenue, or if it would represent additional deficit spending.Speaking to reporters at the Republican congressional retreat in Philadelphia, Ryan dodged questions about whether the wall would be paid for with budget cuts or new revenue, or if it would represent additional deficit spending.
Throughout the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump insisted that not only would he build a wall but that Mexico would pay for it. Peña Nieto, however, has insisted that his country will not foot the bill for “any wall”.
Ryan repeatedly referred to the wall as a fence, referring to the 2006 Secure Fences Act, a bipartisan bill that provided for fencing and barriers to be built along portions of the US-Mexico border.Ryan repeatedly referred to the wall as a fence, referring to the 2006 Secure Fences Act, a bipartisan bill that provided for fencing and barriers to be built along portions of the US-Mexico border.
Trump meanwhile has repeatedly pledged to build a concrete wall along the entire border. The executive order on border security that the White House issued on Wednesday, however, used a broader definition: “A contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier.”Trump meanwhile has repeatedly pledged to build a concrete wall along the entire border. The executive order on border security that the White House issued on Wednesday, however, used a broader definition: “A contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier.”
Ryan said he expected funding for the wall to come from a supplemental budget to be submitted by the administration and said “we’ll process that supplemental before the end of the fiscal year expires”, on 30 September. Ryan said he expected funding for the wall to come from a supplemental budget to be submitted by the administration and said: “We’ll process that supplemental before the end of the fiscal year expires”, on 30 September.
Speaking before Peña Nieto cancelled his visit, Ryan did not directly address Trump’s tweets about the Mexican president. Asked about Trump’s social media habits, he said: “This will be an unconventional presidency, and I think we are going to see unconventional activities like tweets and I think we’ll all have to get used to it.”