Report: After Border Wall Dispute, Peña Nieto Ditches Plans To Meet With Trump

US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL... US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto this week again postponed meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. over Trump’s public insistence that Mexico will pay for his proposed border wall, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

The Post, citing unnamed U.S. and Mexican officials, said Peña Nieto had intended to come to Washington, D.C. in February or March to meet Trump in America for the first time since the Trump’s inauguration. The paper noted the pair met during the G20 summit in Germany in July of last year (pictured above).

But, the sources said, the plans were called off after Trump “would not agree to publicly affirm Mexico’s position” on the border wall — namely, that Mexico isn’t paying for it — during a phone call with Peña Nieto.

An unnamed Mexican official said Trump “lost his temper” over the dispute, the Post reported. Unnamed U.S. officials said Trump was frustrated and exasperated by the exchange.

An unnamed Mexican official added that Peña Nieto’s team was worried Trump would answer a question about funding the border wall during a press conference.

The same stalemate occurred just over a year ago, when Peña Nieto announced he would not be going to Washington to meet Trump as planned. Trump tweeted at the time: “If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”

Soon after, the Washington Post published the transcript of a call between the two leaders in which Trump said that the issue of who was actually paying for a border wall “is the least important thing that we are talking about, but politically this might be the most important talk about.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for j.dave j.dave says:

    Trump “lost his temper?”

    Objection, assumes temper not in evidence.

    Note: objection equally valid for mind, composure, train of thought, marbles, senses, etc. etc. etc.

    (ETA: Uh, Matt: what is a dipsute?)

  2. An unnamed Mexican official said Trump “lost his temper” over the dispute,

    WATBOTUS

  3. Avatar for phi phi says:

    Señor Peña Nieto, please, do not, under any circumstances, kiss our douchnozzle ‘president’s’ ring. I couldn’t survive the embarrassment.

  4. Is it too late to send President Jackass back to military school, teach him how to act once and for all?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

34 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for jdkahler Avatar for bluestatedon Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for losamigos Avatar for stoy Avatar for jurisgal Avatar for jkrogman Avatar for ignoreland Avatar for tsp Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for tiowally Avatar for marymaryquitecontrary Avatar for dannydorko Avatar for katscherger Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for clare Avatar for pegasus46 Avatar for justruss Avatar for jwbuho Avatar for phi

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: