Just hours after President Donald Trump tweeted calling Mexico “one of the highest crime nations in the world” and reiterating that the country “will pay” for a border wall, the Mexican government responded, saying the country wouldn’t fund Trump’s wall “under any circumstances.”
“As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall or physical barrier built on U.S. territory along the Mexican border,” the statement released Sunday to several news outlets said. “This statement is not part of a negotiating strategy, but rather a principle of national sovereignty and dignity.”
The Mexican government spokesperson also touched on Trump’s claims of high crime in the country, calling the issue a “shared challenge” that is spurred on by “high demand for drugs in the United States.”
“Only on the basis of the principles of shared responsibility, teamwork and mutual trust will we be able to overcomes this challenge,” the statement said.
The President also railed against the North American Free Trade Agreement on Sunday, suggesting the U.S. may have to “terminate” negotiations with Mexico and Canada.
The Mexican government said its position at the renegotiation table continues to be “serious and constructive” and said it will not “negotiate NAFTA, nor any other aspect of the bilateral relationship, through social media.”
Sunday was the second time in the past week that Trump has publicly discussed who will pay for his campaign-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
During a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona last week, Trump threatened to shut down the federal government if Congress didn’t provide funding for the wall in its spending bill.
