Donald Trump flew to Mexico Wednesday, where he met with President Enrique Peña Nieto. He called their talk “open and honest.”
Donald Trump and Mexico’s president met. They don’t agree on what happened next.
Then a few hours later, the two men offered different accounts of what happened.
At a press conference right after the meeting, Trump said they did not discuss how the countries would pay for his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border. Trump, of course, has said he’d send the bill to Mexico.
But Peña Nieto said they had talked about it — and that he told Trump there is no way would Mexico would pay.
Trump’s visit to Mexico coincides with an immigration speech he’s giving Wednesday night in Arizona. Trump probably had hoped for a stronger story out of his first state visit. Here’s what else we know about his trip:
1) Trump said he and Peña Nieto would work at “ending illegal immigration.”
“This is a humanitarian disaster. 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,” Trump said.
During his own remarks, Peña Nieto pointed out that undocumented migrants into the US have been on a steady decline, even reaching a net negative.
2) Trump asserted the United States’ “sovereign right” to have a secure border, seemingly hinting at his wall proposal.
“We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs, and weapons. Cooperation toward achieving this shared objective, and it will be shared, of safety for all citizens, is paramount to both the United States and to Mexico,” Trump said.
3) Trump indicated that the two also discussed the utmost need to “dismantle drug cartels” and end the illegal movement of arms and drugs onto US soil.
4) Trump seemingly softened his previous claims that the United States would potentially withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement if not renegotiated, and instead stated that the United States and Mexico needed to work to “improve” NAFTA.
“NAFTA is a 22-year-old agreement that must be updated to reflect the realities of today. There are many improvements that could be made that would make both Mexico and the United States stronger and keep industry in our hemisphere,” Trump said.
5) Trump invoked the importance of the Western Hemisphere multiple times, underscoring his last point to “keep manufacturing wealth in our hemisphere.”
“When jobs leave Mexico, the US, or Central America and go overseas, it increases poverty and pressure on social services, as well as pressures on cross-border migration — tremendous pressure,” Trump said. “A strong, prosperous, and vibrant Mexico is in the best interests of the United States, and will keep and help keep for a long, long period of time America together.”
6) Trump ended his recap of the meeting by insisting Peña Nieto was a “friend.”
“Both of our countries will work together for mutual good, and most importantly, for the mutual good of our people,” Trump concluded his remarks. “Mr. President, I want to thank you. It’s been a tremendous honor. And I call you a friend.”
During questions from reporters, Trump noted that the two did not converse over the details of payment of the wall Trump has long promised he’d build. This summer, Peña Nieto said there was “no way” Mexico would pay for the wall. Nonetheless, Trump’s campaign has remained adamant about the claim.
The brief meeting precedes a campaign rally in Arizona Wednesday night where Trump is expected to more clearly lay out his immigration policies, after a week of reports indicating he is considering walking back some of his more touted ideas, like mass deportation and wall building.
