Donald Trump and Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto met in Mexico City, Mexico on Wednesday afternoon and issued joint statements at a press conference, where Trump declared each country has a right to build a wall on its border.
“Having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial,” Trump stated during the press conference, adding that both countries respect the right of either country to build a physical wall on its land.
However, there was no discussion during the meeting of which country would be paying for the wall.
“We had a very substantive, direct, and constructive exchange of ideas over quite a period of time. I was straightforward in presenting my views of the impacts of current trade and immigration policies on the United States,” Trump stated at the beginning of the press conference with Mexico’s president. “We want to make sure the people of the United States are very well protected. You equally expressed your feelings and your love for Mexico.”
Trump said the two countries are “united by our support of democracy” and praised the contribution from Mexican-Americans in the United States. “They are amazing people.”
“I’m proud to say how many people I employ in the United States. First, second, and third generation Mexicans are just…spectacular, spectacular, hard-working people,” Trump added, saying he has respect for their family and community values.
Trump disclosed that immigration and trade policy was discussed during the private meeting between himself and Nieto.
“No one wins in either country when human smugglers and drug traffickers prey on innocent people,” Trump stated, also noting, “We must take action to stem this tremendous outflow of jobs from our country.”
“Prosperity and happiness in both of our countries will increase if we work together on the following five shared goals,” Trump stated, as he began listing five points he hopes to accomplish with Mexico if he is elected President of the United States.
The five goals are:
- Ending illegal immigration
- Having a secure border, with each country having the right to build a physical wall
- Dismantling drug cartels and ending the movement of illegal weapons and funds across the border
- Improving NAFTA
- Keeping wealth from manufacturing in the hemisphere
“Both our nations benefit from a close and honest relationship between our two governments,” Trump added.
Nieto said that he invited both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to meet with him. Clinton has not yet met with him, but Trump did so on Wednesday.
He stated that Trump’s presence “shows that we do have fundamental common ground. Our countries are important one to the other.”
Nieto explained that the purpose of their meeting was to “exchange ideas and visions about bilateral relationships of our countries.”