On Wednesday, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto met with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Mexico City, much to the surprise of people on both sides of the border. His reasoning for inviting Trump to Mexico, however, is completely understandable.
Peña Nieto’s goal in meeting with Trump was to dispute Trump’s opinion of the Mexican people. When explaining the purpose of the meeting, Peña Nieto wrote:
“I was very clear in public and in private to emphasize the fact that in Mexico, we feel offended and hurt by his statements about Mexicans. I expressed that we deserve respect, that we are honest, hardworking people, that we value our families and the culture of effort.”
In the past, one of the cornerstones of Trump’s campaign has been his immigration policy, which is completely fueled on the basis of his racism. In past speeches, he has referred to all Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists and called for the immediate deportation of millions of people.
Recently, Trump seemed to be softening his stance on immigration in the wake of the backlash he has received, but has been changing his answer on the matter almost daily. It seems like he has only just now realized that he can’t alienate huge groups of American voters if he wants to win this election and is now trying to dance the line of appealing to both his ravenous supporters and the rest of America.
Another purpose of the Mexican President’s meeting with Trump was to clear up once and for all Mexico’s stance on Trump’s border wall proposal. About the wall, Peña Nieto said:
“I was also very clear in my conversation with Trump on the border: Mexico will not pay for any wall.”
Peña Nieto’s goal was noble, but unfortunately did not seem to make much of an impression on Trump. Immediately after the meeting, at a speech in Arizona, Trump had this to say:
“Mexico will pay for the wall. 100%. They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for the wall.”
Is he delusional, or just lying to his supporters?
