Treasury Minister Luis Videgaray has resigned, a ministry spokeswoman said Wednesday, the week after Donald Trump traveled to Mexico to meet with President Ernesto Pena Nieto. Now, he’s looking for a new job.
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Videgaray acted as Pena Nieto’s campaign manager during his 2012 election campaign and has been seen as the architect of many administration policies.
Peña Nieto didn’t offer a reason for Videgaray’s resignation, but one analyst told The New York Times this would “help mitigate the anger”.
Social Development Minister Jose Antonio Meade will take over Videgaray’s position, The Wall Street Journal reported.
As for Trump, he appears to be proud of the shakeup.
“We’ve been badly hurt and if you look at the aftermath today, the people who arranged the trip in Mexico have been forced out of government”, Trump said at a presidential forum in front of veterans and active service members on Wednesday night. “That’s how well we did”.
Deputy Interior Minister Luis Miranda, who is said to be a close friend and ally of Pena Nieto, replaced Meade as the head of the social development ministry.
Trump on many occasions throughout his presidential campaign criticized Mexican migrants, describing them as criminals and rapists.
According to news reports, Trump’s lightning visit to Mexico was widely seen as a diplomatic failure that only served to strengthen the candidate’s standing among potential voters by making him seem more presidential. Pena Nieto has said the meeting was needed to build bridges in case Trump is elected.
In a recent interview with a USA news network, Clinton said she would not accept the invitation, dealing another blow to Mexico.
“Building a wall between Mexico and the United States is a awful idea”.
The president came under fire for not responding to Trump’s mention of the wall during a joint news conference after their meeting August 31, something he has since sought to correct.
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FILE – A demonstrator protests against the visit of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Mexico, Aug. 31, 2016. Pena Nieto fired back his own tweet saying that would “never” happen.
