Speaking this Tuesday just a few days after his appointment, Mexican foreign minister Luis Videgaray declared that under no circumstances will his country pay for U.S. president-elect Donald Trump‘s plan for a border wall.
“There’s no way that could happen,” Videgaray said in a statement on Mexican television.
“There are no circumstances — not even the best possible trade deal, investments, support which would justify taking a step that would violate the dignity of Mexicans to such an extent,” Videgaray said.
From Reuters:
The wall has been a bone of contention between Trump and Mexico since the businessman launched his presidential campaign in June 2015, accusing Mexico of sending rapists and drug dealers across the border into the United States.
Trump said on Friday that Mexico would repay the United States for the wall, a day after news emerged that the New Yorker’s transition team was exploring getting the Republican-led Congress to vote to approve the funding.
Previously Mexico’s finance minister, Videgaray played a key role in setting up Trump’s hastily arranged visit to Mexico City at the end of August, which turned into a public relations disaster for President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Videgaray’s comments come after he played an important role in “informal talks” with Trump’s transition team during his former role as finance minister. He was central to Trump’s visit to Mexico at the end the August, which ended up being a public relations fiasco for President Nieto.
Another meeting between Trump and Nieto is planned to take place once Trump takes office on January 20.
Featured image: Gage Skidmore/Jose Pazos/JPF/PO
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