President Enrique Pena Nieto has brought back a close adviser and Cabinet secretary who had stepped down after arranging a presidential meeting with Donald Trump, a move that angered Mexicans upset by the then- Republican candidate's comments about migrants.
Pena Nieto appointed former Finance Secretary Luis Videgaray as his new foreign relations secretary yesterday and gave him the job of trying to establish contacts and dialogue for a constructive relationship with Trump's administration, which takes power January 20.
"It should be a relationship that allows us to strengthen bilateral ties in security, trade, migration and investment," Pena Nieto said. "These goals should be attained by promoting Mexico's interests without undermining its sovereignty or the dignity of Mexicans."
He also said Videgaray should protect the rights of Mexicans living in the United States.
In brief comments after his appointment, Videgaray said that "the challenges are enormous, the threats are there."
As if to underscore the challenges, Mexico's peso sank to a new historic low against the US dollar, with the interbank rate closing at 21.52 pesos to USD 1 yesterday.
Relations with Trump have been testy following his campaign comment that some Mexican migrants were rapists and criminals, his promise to build a wall between the countries, and his recent push to stop US companies from moving jobs to Mexico. He has also promised to change the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada and crack down on illegal immigration.
Pena Nieto's August 31 meeting with Trump dealt a blow to the Mexican leader's already-low approval ratings, and he later acknowledged Videgaray resigned because he helped arrange the visit.
Many Mexicans felt Pena Nieto was not forceful enough in denouncing Trump's comments during the meeting and instead gave a pre-election boost to a man widely loathed in Mexico.
At the time, Trump praised Videgaray, tweeting that "Mexico has lost a brilliant finance minister and wonderful man who I know is highly respected by President Pena Nieto." But Trump also said, "The people that arranged the trip in Mexico have been forced out of government. That's how well we did."
Pena Nieto defended the visit as necessary to open a "space for dialogue" to stress the importance of the US-Mexico relationship.
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