Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made a quick trip to Mexico today to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto, against the objections of many citizens of Mexico, who have been insulted by Trump pretty much every day of the campaign, for more than a year.
LIVE: Trump says he told Mexico president that either country should have right to build wall or barrier on border pic.twitter.com/QcvaEiawwV
— Reuters Live (@ReutersLive) August 31, 2016
Reuters has live coverage here.
Trump says he chatted with the Mexican president about the wall Trump wants to build to keep Mexican migrants out, but they didn't talk about who would pay for this wall.
Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto: The Mexicans in the U.S. "deserve the respect of everyone" https://t.co/hNxGpX7V6d
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 31, 2016
Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against Trump's visit, at the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City. REUTERS/Tomas Bravo
The predominant feeling in the Mexican capital “is one of betrayal,” reports the New York Times.
“It’s a historic error,” historian Enrique Krauze told the paper. “You confront tyrants, you don’t appease them.”
On Mexico’s most popular morning television show on Wednesday, a livid Mr. Krauze likened the president’s meeting with Mr. Trump to the decision by Neville Chamberlain, then the British prime minister, to sit down with Hitler in Munich in 1938.
“It isn’t brave to meet in private with somebody who has insulted and denigrated” Mexicans, Mr. Krauze said. “It isn’t dignified to simply have a dialogue.”
Yes, many Mexicans say, it was Mr. Trump who offended the people of Mexico with his disparaging comments about migrants and his promises to build a border wall paid for by Mexico.
But for many Mexicans, the surprising invitation from Mr. Peña Nieto — who has likened Mr. Trump’s language to that of Hitler and Mussolini in the past — is even worse.
President Enrique Peña Nieto this month at the National Palace in Mexico City. He has been criticized for setting up a meeting with Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. REUTERS
WATCH: Mexico's Pena Nieto says Trump meeting was to get to know each other, expects to meet with Clinton soon pic.twitter.com/e1fwv1ZcJH
— Reuters Live (@ReutersLive) August 31, 2016
Que a las 11 al Ángel a repudiar la visita de Trump a México y la burla de Peña Nieto por invitarlo#QuePeñaTrump pic.twitter.com/MD2r1vAT6s
— Valeria Hamel (@valehamel) August 31, 2016
Former Mexican President Calderon: This event was "completely unnecessary and inconvenient" https://t.co/4SZEQB8abm https://t.co/rO1uUTXR8t
— CNN (@CNN) August 31, 2016
Trump says one of his goals is to "keep manufacturing wealth in our hemisphere." Hemisphere??????????????????
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 31, 2016
Enrique Peña Nieto le acaba de regalar a Donald Trump uno de los mejores días de su campaña. Y empezó a construir el muro en Los Pinos.
— Felix de Bedout (@fdbedout) August 31, 2016
Most confusing part of Trump's speech was the "Western hemisphere" part. He wants a U.S./Mexico alliance against Chinese job-stealing?
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 31, 2016
This is exactly like if Trump had fashioned his platform on Twitter and then had to explain it straight to somebody's face in real life
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 31, 2016
