 "Trump, Mexican leader speak over phone amid 'wall' rift")
US President Donald Trump today said he had an hour-long telephonic conversation with his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto on bilateral trade and the contentious border wall issue on which he insisted his stance has not changed.
"I will say that we had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I work with the Mexican people all the time. Great relationships. But Mexico has outnegotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders," Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May.
"They've made us look foolish. We have a trade deficit of $60 billion with Mexico. On top of that, the border is soft and weak, drugs are pouring in, and I'm not going to let that happen," he said, adding that he talked with his Mexican counterpart for about an hour this morning.
"We are going to be working on a fair relationship and a new relationship. But the United States cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business, vast amounts of companies, and millions and millions of people losing their jobs. That won't happen with me. We're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing," Trump said in response to a question.
"We are going to renegotiate our trade deals and we are going to renegotiate other aspects of our relationship with Mexico, and in the end, I think it'll be good for both countries," he asserted.
Trump described the call as "very, very friendly", and said he looks forward to the negotiations over the coming months.
"But I'm representing the people of the United States and I'm going to represent them as somebody should represent them, not how they've been represented in the past where we lose to every single country," Trump said.
Trump told Nieto yesterday that he should cancel his visit to Washington to meet him if Mexico is unwilling to pay for the massive border wall that he wants to build to stop illegal migrants from entering America.
"If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump tweeted.
"I've said time and again: Mexico won't pay for any wall," Nieto, who canceled his trip to Washington, had said in a televised address to the nation.
"I will say that we had a very good call. I have been very strong on Mexico. I have great respect for Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I work with the Mexican people all the time. Great relationships. But Mexico has outnegotiated us and beat us to a pulp through our past leaders," Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May.
"They've made us look foolish. We have a trade deficit of $60 billion with Mexico. On top of that, the border is soft and weak, drugs are pouring in, and I'm not going to let that happen," he said, adding that he talked with his Mexican counterpart for about an hour this morning.
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"We are going to renegotiate our trade deals and we are going to renegotiate other aspects of our relationship with Mexico, and in the end, I think it'll be good for both countries," he asserted.
Trump described the call as "very, very friendly", and said he looks forward to the negotiations over the coming months.
"But I'm representing the people of the United States and I'm going to represent them as somebody should represent them, not how they've been represented in the past where we lose to every single country," Trump said.
Trump told Nieto yesterday that he should cancel his visit to Washington to meet him if Mexico is unwilling to pay for the massive border wall that he wants to build to stop illegal migrants from entering America.
"If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting," Trump tweeted.
"I've said time and again: Mexico won't pay for any wall," Nieto, who canceled his trip to Washington, had said in a televised address to the nation.