Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray resigned on Wednesday in the wake of fallout from Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s visit. The circumstances surrounding Videaray’s exit were not immediately clear.
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A sombre-looking Pena Nieto told a news conference that Videgaray, who officials said was the architect of the visit by the Republican candidate for the November 8 USA presidential election, would give way to former finance minister Jose Antonio Meade.
Many Mexicans felt outraged that Peña Nieto would invite a politician who has been so harshly critical of Mexicans.
But after the joint press conference in Mexico City, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted that the topic of the wall led off their conversation and said that he was unambiguous regarding his country’s stance. During a disastrous closed-door meeting, Nieto told Trump that Mexico would not pay for the real estate mogul’s border wall.
“You shouldn’t leave the safety of America and our diplomacy in the hands of a rookie who, on his one visit with a foreign leader, has already created kind of an worldwide embarrassment for us”, said the Virginia senator.
Videgaray acted as Pena Nieto’s campaign manager during his 2012 election campaign and has been seen as the architect of many administration policies.
“He’s been a minister five times, and on those five occasions he’s done a good job”, Cordero said.
The new budget will be under close scrutiny after rating agency Standard & Poor’s last month said it could cut Mexico’s credit rating following a marked increase in debt. The economy has consistently underperformed expectations during Videgaray’s tenure.
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Mexico Finance Minister Luis Videgaray is leaving the government, Finance Ministry spokeswoman Claudia Algorri said on Wednesday, citing no reason for the departure.
