“Who pays for the wall? We didn’t discuss that.”
Donald Trump just came up empty-handed in Mexico and exposed the absurdity of his presidential campaign to the world. Since the launch of his presidential bid, Donald Trump has promised to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border and make Mexico pay for it. Over and over and over again. Today, Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto for nearly an hour and admitted:”Who pays for the wall? We didn’t discuss that.”
Whoops.
The wall (and making Mexico pay for it) is Donald Trump’s signature issue. At campaign stops across the country, Trump disparages immigrants, attacks the Mexican-American community and insults the Mexican nation. But south of the border, Trump wimped out.
Trump tried to obscure his past year of comments disparaging immigrants and the Mexican-American community. He neglected to even bring up how Mexico will pay for the wall. The fact is, for months, all Trump has offered the American people are lies and falsehoods in his frantic, power-hungry quest for the White House. This afternoon’s press conference was just more of the same.
this is surreal
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 31, 2016
Essentially, Mexican president provided a platform for a candidate who’s spent a year beating on Mexicans to act like it never happened
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) August 31, 2016
not great for Trump’s image as hard-nosed dealmaker to not even bring up topic of wall payment plan in meeting with Mexican president, no?
— Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) August 31, 2016
Trump doesn’t mention his desire to have Mexico pay for the wall
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 31, 2016
Trump’s signature line is that Mexico will pay for a border wall.
He met with the Mexican president & didn’t discuss their paying for wall
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) August 31, 2016
“Who pays for the wall? We didn’t discuss that.”
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 31, 2016
Trump says they did discuss the wall. Says he was “strong” in the meeting.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 31, 2016
So if a border wall is a “shared” responsibility “and it will be shared” per @realdonaldtrump does that mean Mexico pays for only half?
— Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) August 31, 2016
Two different speeches. Trump insists trade is a one-way benefit and jobs are flowing out of the US. @EPN says US jobs depend on Mexico.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) August 31, 2016
Trump says one of his goals is to “keep manufacturing wealth in our hemisphere.” Hemisphere??????????????????
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 31, 2016
New campaign logo: Make Our Hemisphere Great Again!
— Enrique Acevedo (@Enrique_Acevedo) August 31, 2016
NEW: Instead of accusing Mexico of stealing jobs, Trump now says US could work with Mexico to keep manufacturing jobs in this “hemisphere.”
— Jenna Johnson (@wpjenna) August 31, 2016
Trump says he wants to “keep jobs and wealth in our hemisphere.” He usually says “in the United States,” and blames Mexico for taking them.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 31, 2016
Nieto: Mexican people are “honest and hardworking” he says next to a man who referred to some as rapists
— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) August 31, 2016
Trump says Mexicans in the U.S. are “beyond reproach.” (Except for that whole rapists thing)
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 31, 2016
TRUMP JUST CALLED MEXICAN PEOPLE “SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR” PEOPLE. A YEAR AFTER CALLING THEM RAPISTS!
— Juan Escalante (@JuanSaaa) August 31, 2016
Fmr. Mexican Pres. Felipe Calderon on CNN on Trump praising Mexicans: “I don’t believe him. He’s lying.”
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 31, 2016
]]>Donald Trump: “I happen to have a tremendous feeling for Mexican Americans” https://t.co/SfJWzo0Bw4 https://t.co/an0bFyFiyX
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 31, 2016
Trump began his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants “rapists.” When faced with backlash for his countless anti-Latino comments, he tweeted a tone-deaf, offensive picture of himself eating a taco bowl. Trump has treated Mexico, one of America’s allies, as an enemy, and has even said he wants “nothing to do with Mexico.”
This meeting could be quite uncomfortable. Beyond these offensive comments, Trump probably needs to ask about his plan for the Mexican government to pay for the wall he wants to build. We’ll see how that goes.

Donald Trump: “Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 5/5/16]
Donald Trump: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. […] They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” “Thank you. It’s true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” [Donald Trump, Presidential Announcement speech, 6/16/15]
Donald Trump: “Everything’s coming across the border. The illegals, the cars, the whole thing. It’s like a big mess, blegh. It’s like vomit.” “Everything’s coming across the border. The illegals, the cars, the whole thing. It’s like a big mess, blegh. It’s like vomit.” [Donald Trump remarks to Texas Patriots PAC, 4/30/15]
Donald Trump: “People are coming through the border that are really bad hombres and bad dudes and these are people that Mexico doesn’t want.” “You look at beautiful Kate [Steinle] and what’s going on like in San Francisco and Jamiel [Shaw] and so many people being killed and hurt badly. And people are coming through the border that are really bad hombres and bad dudes and these are people that Mexico doesn’t want and other countries where they come from, they don’t want them.” [Daily Ledger, 8/5/15]
Donald Trump said Mexico was sending criminals to the US in the same way Fidel Castro “opened up his prisons and sent his prisoners to the United States.” “Trump also tried to make a historical comparison, noting, ‘[Former Cuban leader Fidel] Castro, many years ago, opened up his prisons and sent his prisoners to the United States,’ which the candidate called a disaster for the America, before adding, ‘In a much more sophisticated manner, Mexico is [now] doing the same thing.’” [New York Magazine, 6/12/15]
Donald Trump on Mexican immigration: “They send the bad ones over because they don’t want to pay for them.” “Our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid, and the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning, and they send the bad ones over because they don’t want to pay for them, they don’t want to take care of them. Why should they, when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for them? And that’s what’s happening, whether you like it or not.” [Donald Trump, Fox News Presidential Debate, Cleveland, OH, 8/6/15]
Donald Trump: “You have illegal immigrants pouring through the country. They’re incarcerated, many of them are in jails. You have hundreds of thousands of people going to state and federal penitentiaries.” “DONALD TRUMP: No, I don’t apologize. Everybody knows what’s going on. You have illegal immigrants pouring through the country. They’re incarcerated, many of them are in jails. You have hundreds of thousands of people going to state and federal penitentiaries. That just came out in Homeland Security Report. You just have to take a look at them. The crime is rampant all over the place. You have the illegals just literally pouring — and not from Mexico only, they’re coming from all over the world. You have them all over South America, but they’re coming from the Middle East.” [Real Clear Politics, 7/1/15]
Donald Trump on the PGA tour happening in Mexico: “I hope they have kidnapping insurance.” TRUMP: “And I’m going to bring jobs back from Mexico and China and all these places. I mean, I just heard that the PGA tour is taking their tournament out of Miami and moving it to Mexico, as an example.” HANNITY: “Good grief.” TRUMP: “They’re taking it — it’s at Doral. It’s at — they use one of my places. They’re moving their tournament. It’s the Cadillac World Golf Championship. And Cadillac’s been a great sponsor, but they’re moving it to Mexico. They’re moving it to Mexico City, which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance. But they’re moving it to Mexico City.” [Fox News, 5/31/16]
Donald Trump, pointing to a plane flying above his campaign event: “That could be a Mexican plane up there — they’re getting ready to attack.” [Donald Trump, Manchester, NH, 6/30/16]
Donald Trump said that the border was “like an open sieve” that was allowing in “people that are sick and with contagious diseases, like tuberculosis.” VAN SUSTEREN: “Listen, I want to ask you about some things about President Obama’s request, $3.7 billion for the border. What do you think about that?” TRUMP: “I think the whole thing is ridiculous. It’s like an open sieve. People are just pouring in, all sorts of people. People that are sick and with contagious diseases, like tuberculosis, which is a real disaster. And what we are doing with this country is unthinkable. So, they are going there, and it’s a very — it’s a big humanitarian problem. There is no question about it. But they are all being dropped there because we are an open fence. We are an open door. We should just automatically say we have an open-door policy. Because, what’s going on is absolutely insane for this country. And, we owe, as you know, $17 trillion, Greta, $17 trillion. We can’t afford this. And they are only there because of the fact that we are saying, welcome, come in, and it’s not a good situation.” [Fox News On the Record, 7/11/14]
Donald Trump: “The Mexicans are the new China.” O’REILLY: “OK. I actually laughed when you said you’re going to build this giant wall from San Diego to Brownsville and the Mexicans are going to pay for it. The Mexicans aren’t going to pay for the wall.” TRUMP: “Let me tell you. The Mexicans are the new China. What they are doing to this country –” [Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor, 6/16/15]
Donald Trump: “Don’t do business with Mexico!” “I have a lawsuit in Mexico’s corrupt court system that I won but so far can’t collect. Don’t do business with Mexico!” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 2/24/15]
Donald Trump: “The Mexican legal system is corrupt, as is much of Mexico.” “The Mexican legal system is corrupt, as is much of Mexico. Pay me the money that is owed me now – and stop sending criminals over our border.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 2/24/15]
Donald Trump: “Mexico’s totally corrupt gov’t looks horrible with El Chapo’s escape—totally corrupt. U.S. paid them $3 billion.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 7/13/15]
Donald Trump: “Mexico is not our friend.” “They will pay for the wall. And the wall will go up and Mexico will start behaving. Mexico is not our friend.” [Fox News, 6/16/15]
Donald Trump: “Rodolfo Rosas Moya and his pals in Mexico owe me a lot of money. Disgusting & slow Mexico court system. Mexico is not a U.S. friend.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 4/16/15]
Donald Trump: “They [Mexico] treat us like garbage at the border. They laugh at us.” “Two weeks ago, front page of the Wall Street Journal, big story on Mexico taking a tremendous — a billion-dollar car plant out of Tennessee. It was going to go to Tennessee, big German company. Was going to go to Tennessee, was all set. And then out of the blue, Mexico swiped it. They took it. They gave them all sorts of things. And now it’s being built in Mexico. More people employed. And then they treat us like garbage at the border. They laugh at us. They laugh at us.” [Trump remarks, FITN Republican Leadership Summit, 4/18/15]
Donald Trump appeared to indicate he could get congressional approval for “destroying Mexico.” TRUMP: They charge us tariffs. We don’t charge them because we’re stupid. They charge us. And the largest bank in the world is right under this floor. O’REILLY: Now you realize Congress is going to have to ok all this. They’re going to have to ok you destroying Mexico.They’re going to have to ok you for the tariff on China. TRUMP: Bill. O’REILLY: And you really think you’re going to get it through? TRUMP: Absolutely. I’ve been dealing with politicians all my life.” [Fox News, 6/17/15]
Donald Trump: “I want nothing to do with Mexico other than to build an impenetrable WALL.” “Mexico’s court system corrupt. I want nothing to do with Mexico other than to build an impenetrable WALL and stop them from ripping off U.S.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 3/5/15]
Donald Trump: “Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid.” “The border is wide open for cartels & terrorists. Secure our border now. Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid!” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 3/30/15]
Donald Trump said his border wall with Mexico would help address the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire, because “you know where that stuff comes from.” “‘It’s amazing how many people bring that up,’ Trump answered. ‘I bet half the people have their hands up about heroin.’ Trump responded that he wants to take care of addicts using locally based clinics, and stop the source of the drug by walling off the border. ‘The problem of heroin in New Hampshire is unbelievable, it’s like an unbelievable problem that you have,’ Trump said. ‘And you know where that stuff comes from.’” [CBS, 11/11/15]
Donald Trump: “We have the anchor babies. I was right about the anchor babies. A woman’s pregnant, she steps across the border, she has a baby. Congratulations.” TRUMP: “We have the anchor babies. I was right about the anchor babies. A woman’s pregnant, she steps across the border, she has a baby. Congratulations. We take care of that baby for ninety years, or for however long the baby lives.” [Donald Trump, Town Hall, Nashua, NH, 1/29/16]
Donald Trump: “The illegals coming in are causing tremendous problems. In terms of crime, in terms of murder, in terms of rape.” TRUMP: “The illegals coming in are causing tremendous problems. In terms of crime, in terms of murder, in terms of rape, in terms of…” COOPER: I’m going to give you two studies. Northwestern University, cited by ‘The Washington Post,’ says essentially no correlation between illegal immigration and violent crime. Pew Research Center, using figures from the University of Massachusetts, found, quote, ‘the crime rate among first-generation immigrants, those who came to this country from somewhere else, significantly lower than the overall crime rate and that of the second generation.’” TRUMP: “If somebody is an illegal immigrant, they shouldn’t be here at all. There shouldn’t be any crime. They’re not supposed to be in our country. They’re not supposed to be — and I’m not just talking Mexico. They’re coming — excuse me, they’re coming from all over the world. I’m not just talking about Mexico.” [CNN, 7/8/15]
]]>Mexican political leaders have been remarkably blunt about how they feel about The Donald’s bigotry and insults. In fact, Trump’s bigoted rhetoric has drawn the strong condemnation of Mexico’s three most recent presidents. Peña Nieto has previously compared Trump’s candidacy to the rise of fascist dictators Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Peña Nieto’s immediate predecessor Felipe Calderon has gone even further, saying Trump is “exploiting feelings like Hitler did in his time.” And this morning on CNN’s New Day, former Mexican President Vicente Fox said that Trump “is not welcome to Mexico…We don’t like him. We don’t want him. We reject his message.”
And about that wall? Calderon has said, “we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall!” Fox was even clearer: “I am not going to pay for that [expletive] wall.”
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto compared Donald Trump to Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. “Asked about Trump, Peña Nieto complained to the Excelsior newspaper about ‘these strident expressions that seek to propose very simple solutions’ and said that sort of language has led to ‘very fateful scenes in the history of humanity.’ ‘That’s the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived,’ he said.” [The Washington Post, 3/7/16; Excelsior, 3/7/16]
Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. “‘This logic of praising the white supremacy is not just anti-immigration,’ Calderon said. ‘He is acting and speaking out against immigrants that have a different skin color than he does, it is frankly racist and [he is] exploiting feelings like Hitler did in his time,’ Calderon said.” [The Guardian, 2/27/16]
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox said Donald Trump reminded him of Adolf Hitler. FOX: “He [Donald Trump] says he’s going to bring back America to what it was? That’s crazy. Never before America, the United States, was so big, so strong, so powerful, so successful as it is today. He’s going to take that nation back to the old days of conflict, war and everything. I mean, he reminds me of Hitler the way he’s starting to speaking.” [CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, 2/26/16]
Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon: “Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall!” “‘Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall! And it’s going to be completely useless,’ Calderon said.” [CNBC, 2/8/16]
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox: “I am not going to pay for that f*cking wall.” Maria Bartiromo: “Which is why he thinks he’s going to be successful and Mexico is going to pay for the wall because he knows Mexico needs the U.S. when it comes to trade just the way the U.S. needs Mexico. Vincente Fox: “I have to say, we are not, I am not going to pay for that f*cking wall. I am not. And he should know that.” [Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria, 2/26/16]
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox: The U.S. “is going to fail if it goes into the hands of a crazy guy.” “Slamming Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric and his campaign promise of building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, Fox urged Hispanics to ‘open their eyes.’ ‘Please, you Hispanics, Latinos in the U.S., open your eyes. It’s not to defend our race. Not to defend our creed. It’s to defend this very same nation that is hosting you. This nation is going to fail if it goes into the hands of a crazy guy,’ warned the former Mexican commander-in-chief.” [Fusion, 2/26/16]
Mexican Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade remarked on ‘all the good things that Secretary Clinton has constructed for Mexico.’ Mexican Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade: ‘Basically we’re wanting in this meeting to convey all the gratitude that we have for all the good things that Secretary Clinton has constructed for Mexico for the relationship. It’s a good time to take stock, it’s a good time to look where we are and what we can construct with her successor. But we basically wanted to thank her for what she has done for Mexico. She is very important and well loved.’ [Remarks with Mexican Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade, state.gov, 1/30/13]
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