Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has joined the growing chorus of voices worldwide condemning Republican presidential contender Donald Trump.
Pena Nieto, whose country is at the center of Trump's pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and to make Mexico pay for it, does not see Mexico succumbing to Trump's demands any time soon, telling the Excelsior newspaper that there is "no scenario" under which Mexico would pay for the wall. This follows a comment from Mexico's finance minister Luis Videgaray, who last week called Trump's wall a "terrible" idea.
The Mexican president also had a sobering analysis of the electoral support that Trump is enjoying in the United States. Joining his predecessors Felipe Calderon and Vicente Fox — both former presidents of Mexico — Pena Nieto likened Trump's rise to that of 20th century fascism:
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.
"And there have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of this strident rhetoric have only led to very ominous situations in the history of humanity," the Mexican president added."That's how Mussolini got in, that's how Hitler got in, they took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis."And I think what [they] put forward ended up at what we know today from history, in global conflagration. We don't want that happening anywhere in the world," Pena Nieto said. [Reuters]
Comparisons to Hitler and Mussolini aside, Pena Nieto says he has not ruled out working with a President Trump. According to Reuters, the Mexican president "stressed that his administration will seek to reach agreement and maintain a respectful relationship with whoever wins the U.S. presidency."
-
5 cartoons of mass destruction about Dick Cheney’s legacyCartoon Artists take on hall of fame, pearly gates, and more
-
What happens to a Democratic Party without Nancy Pelosi?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The storied former speaker of the House is set to retire, leaving congressional Democrats a complicated legacy and an uncertain future
-
The plant-based portfolio diet focuses on heart healthThe Explainer Its guidelines are flexible and vegan-friendly
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
