Did Trump inform Mexico’s president that Mexico would pay for “his” wall, or conveniently forget to mention it, as he forgot to display an American flag opposite Mexico’s during his so carefully worded speech?
Advertisement
But within hours of leaving Mexico, Trump was telling a cheering crowd of supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, that Mexico would pay for the border wall “100 percent”, prompting fresh ridicule of Pena Nieto at home.
President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday named Jose Antonio Meade as the country’s new finance minister, replacing Luis Videgaray. He also helped coordinate the campaign team for Peña Nieto’s presidential bid in 2012.
“He has been an official very committed to Mexico, and very loyal to the president”, Pena Nieto said.
Following a meeting with Trump in Mexico City, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto wrote a letter to Mexican newspaper El Universal stating his country would not pay for the wall.
The new finance minister, Meade, is a friend of Videgaray and had started in the administration as foreign minister before moving to the social development ministry previous year.
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.
“Dr. Luis Videgaray has presented me his resignation from the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit”, Nieto said. Needless to say, Trump is an extremely unpopular man among Hispanics, so his visit to Mexico on August 31 appeared inopportune and unfitting.
“Mexico has lost a brilliant finance minister and wonderful man who I know is highly respected by President Peña Nieto”, Trump wrote in a tweet.
The president also invited Clinton, who declined this week.
An investigation led by the minister for public administration cleared Videgaray and Pena Nieto of wrongdoing previous year, but critics questioned the probe as it was conducted by someone picked by the president. If Trump were to do this, however, Piter’s bill would trigger a review and possible cancelation of all of the bilateral agreements between Mexico and the U.S.
“He has the academic background and the experience politically and technically, to be as good as Videgaray as minister of finance but on top of that we do think that he is more investor friendly”, said Gabriel Casillas, an economist at Banorte. “Some say he did well, others say the debt has increased”.
Advertisement
However, his chances could be bolstered by a revival on his watch of Mexico’s economy, which contracted in the second quarter for the first time in three years.
