When Donald Trump first announced that he was going to run for president in the summer of 2015, he quickly came under fire for referring to illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." Trump vowed to build a wall at the Southern border, but the plan is not going over well with the president of the Mexico.
Trump on Twitter
Donald Trump made illegal immigration the back-bone of his presidential campaign, with a border wall as one of his first priorities if he won the election. Not only did the former host of "The Apprentice" promise to build the aforementioned wall, but he also said that Mexico would be financially responsible.
After Trump signed an executive order to jump start the construction, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced that he had no intention of ever paying for the wall in question. As expected, the news from Mexico didn't go over well with the new president, who took to his offical Twitter count on January 26 to voice his frustration.
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
"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 of jobs and companies lost," Donald Trump wrote on Twitter early Thursday morning.
In a follow-up tweet, Trump went on to send a threat to the country over the scheduled meeting between himself and President Enrique Pena Nieto. "If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," he wrote.
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 vs. Mexico
Just hours after Donald Trump signed the border wall executive order, the president of the Mexico addressed the people of is country and pushed back at the move made by the new United States president.
"I have said it over and over again: Mexico will not pay for any wall," Pena Nieto said, clarifying that he "regrets and rejects" that Trump will follow through with his plans. Due to the pressure from the Mexican people, Pena Nieto is being called on to cancel the aforementioned meeting with Trump.
Mexican lawmakers are urging President Enrique Peña Nieto to cancel his scheduled visit to Washington, D.C. https://t.co/JUpZq8HObW
— NPR (@NPR) January 26, 2017
Moving forward
Donald Trump has said that Mexico would pay for the wall, though he has slightly changed his tune as of late.
The billionaire real estate mogul is now looking to use taxpayer money to start the wall, but claims Mexico will be responsible for paying back the costs. While Trump has gone on record in saying the relationship between the two sides will be come "great," it doesn't appear like both countries are off to the best start.
