Trump, Peña Nieto discuss U.S.-Mexico border wall
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.
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Earlier Wednesday, Trump's advisers said they hoped the visit would provide a presidential photo op for the candidate — but there was no American flag on stage with Trump and Peña Nieto, only a Mexican flag. Next, Trump will give a speech later Wednesday in Arizona on his immigration policy.
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