Trump, Peña Nieto discuss U.S.-Mexico border wall

Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

(Image credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 1 September 2016

Donald Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Wednesday, after which the two men gave a joint press conference. Trump called Peña Nieto's invitation a "great honor," and said the U.S. and Mexico are "united by our support for democracy, a great love for our people, and the contributions of millions of Mexican-Americans to the United States." Trump said he has a "tremendous feeling" for Mexican-Americans, explaining that not only does he have several friends of Mexican descent, but he has also employed "tremendous numbers" of Mexican-Americans in the United States.

Trump then laid out five shared goals for the U.S. and Mexico: 1) ending illegal immigration, which he called a "humanitarian disaster"; 2) having a secure border; 3) curbing the drug trade; 4) improving the NAFTA agreement; and 5) keeping manufacturing wealth in the continent. Regarding Trump's infamous border wall, the GOP candidate said that while both he and Peña Nieto "respect and recognize the right of either country to build a physical barrier," paying for the wall was not discussed; Trump has insisted throughout his campaign that Mexico would foot the bill for such construction.

Peña Nieto spoke briefly, saying that he had invited both Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to visit, and Trump's camp responded quickly in the affirmative. He also said he recognized that many Mexicans had been offended and aggrieved by some of Trump's remarks as a candidate, but that as Mexican president, it is his job to work toward a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship with the United States and to respect the American electoral process.