Last night it was reported that the Mexican President was so upset at the idea of a border wall and even more so paying for it, that he would consider canceling his trip to meet with Trump. It was then reported that despite his misgivings he would not cancel his trip, but he reiterated that Mexico is not paying for a wall:
CNN – On Wednesday night, Pena Nieto said he did not see a need to cancel his trip — but reiterated that he wouldn’t fund the wall.
“Mexico does not believe in walls. I’ve said time again; Mexico will not pay for any wall,” he said in a video statement posted to Twitter and translated by CNN from Spanish.
Peña Nieto said he would wait for a final report from his top officials who arrived in Washington Wednesday to meet with the Trump administration, and previous meetings with Mexican legislators, before deciding which steps he would take next.
This morning Trump responded on Twitter to the Mexican president, telling him if Mexico refuses to pay for the wall then he might as well cancel their meeting:
The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017
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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017
Trump is really playing hardball on this issue. It sounds like either Mexico pays for the wall or their unwillingness to do so might put NAFTA in jeopardy.