Did Donald Trump lie about discussing border wall payment with Mexico's president? Maybe not.
Maybe something was lost in translation. Maybe somebody is lying. Or maybe Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Donald Trump are being super precise in their language. But there seems to be a dispute over whether or not Trump and Nieto discussed who will pay for Trump's hypothetical wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. At a joint news conference, Trump said no. "We did discuss the wall, we didn't discuss payment of the wall," he told reporters. "That will be for a later date."
Nieto did not disagree with Trump at the time, but a spokesman said soon after that the Mexican president made clear to Trump that Mexico is still not building that wall. On Twitter, Nieto tweeted that "at the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall."
Then, on TV Wednesday night, Nieto said that he had been clear and emphatic with Trump that Mexico will not pay for the wall.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, there is a way that both sides can be right. Nieto spokesman Eduardo Sanchez told The Wall Street Journal's David Luhnow that Trump did not respond when Nieto told him no, so there was "no discussion" and Trump wasn't lying. A warm-up act at Trump's Arizona rally, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, said he doesn't really care who pays for the wall. Trump, in his Arizona speech, was emphatic that, despite what Nieto might have told him, "Mexico will pay, 100 percent. They don't know it yet, but they're gonna pay for it."
This is all assuming that Trump wins the election and convinces Congress (or, even less likely, Mexico) to fork over tens of billions of dollars for Trump's "great wall." BuzzFeed political editor Katherine Miller put it this way:
Discussing the Mexico City trip beforehand, a Trump adviser told CNN, "You've just got to throw in a little theater now and then." Mission accomplished: Trump sure left us with a whodunit.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published