President Trump is a terrible negotiator

Art of the Deal author and U.S. President Donald Trump is maybe not the negotiator he's chalked up to be. Despite his spokesperson once dubbing him "the best negotiator in the history of the world," Thursday's series of incidents with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto were evidence to the contrary, The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza writes.

Mexico is a major trading partner and ally of the U.S., but was alienated Thursday when Trump insisted Mexico would pay for the border wall, Peña Nieto insisted he wouldn't, and Trump responded by tweeting that if that was the case, then maybe the two leaders should cancel their upcoming meeting. Peña Nieto, in essence, said, "Okay, fine."

A Mexican Embassy official noted to Lizza that the diplomats at the White House were also furious at Trump for signing an executive order in his first days as president that called for the construction on the border and expanded deportation laws. "They were like, 'What the f--- are we going to negotiate?'" the official told The New Yorker. "'You've done the job. What are we going to negotiate if you've signed this? What's wrong with you?'"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up