Donald Trump: Mexico will pay for wall because I say so ("Let there be a wall, and there was a wall"

CNN ^ | 8/5/2015 | Rebekah Metzler

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Donald Trump - who Fox News said literally will be at the center of its GOP primary debate on Thursday - is already feeling the heat from network hosts.

On Tuesday, Fox's Bill O'Reilly grilled the billionaire businessman on his claim that as president he will get Mexico to pay for a wall on the southern U.S. border to help prevent undocumented immigrants from crossing into the United States.

"Bill, they're making a fortune, Mexico is making a fortune off the United States, it's becoming the new China in terms of trade -- they're killing us at the border," Trump said after O'Reilly pressed him twice on the same question.

The third time O'Reilly asked, Trump said, "I'm gonna say, 'Mexico, this is not going to continue, you're going to pay for that wall,' and they will pay for the wall. ..."

[ontap]

I would guess an import tariff!!

[DAC21]

A 10% fee on all money sent to Mexico will get that wall built fast. 23 billion sent last year, 120 billion in total for all countries.

[jpsb]

You right we should all just give up and welcome our third world brothers and sisters into our homes. No wall, no boarders, no county, just one big happy Marxist world.

[ek_hornbeck]

Tax on wire remittances to countries which supply well more than their share of illegal immigrants. Make it small enough to keep dollars from leaving some other way, but large enough to raise decent revenue.

Since most of these remittances are sent by illegals, it's already being done by proxy, so basically the only way to tax the remittances is to tax all money transfers from the US to Mexico. However, this does seem like the best way to actually have Mexico pay for our border security.

The other option would be to re-negotiate NAFTA and reimpose tariffs, which may be a good thing in its own right.

[dfwgator]

“Mr. Trump...Put Up This Wall!”

[ßuddaßudd]

if you like your doctor,, you can keep your doctor . . .

[MaggiesPitchfork]

On the other hand, getting Mexico to pay for something might not be as hard as people think it is. “It’s Complex!” isn’t a good excuse. “We” give tons of money to Mexico, not to mention billions every year in bank transfers from illegals. We could pay for it in a couple years just with bank fees. Don’t like it, move back to Mexico! Kill two birds there.

[cripplecreek]

I used to think tariffs were a good idea but after seeing Obama in action, I reached the conclusion that enticing business with lower taxes and less regulation is always a better option than punishing business with tariffs.

One problem is the fact that there are a lot of things shipped into Mexican ports and shipped here by land. Do we impose tariffs on those too?

[ontap]

A trade war with Mexico wouldn’t be much of a war....what will they do refuse to export their goods. Refuse to let us export our jobs!!! Stop the flow of felons and narcotics!!!

[RoosterRedux]

You pay for a wall the same way you pay for a bridge. You tax or levy a toll on the trade that passes over it.

[Vigilanteman]

Agreed.

Or simply re-negotiate NAFTA to exclude Mexico. We don't have much of an illegal immigration problem from the other NAFTA members, Canada, Chile, etc.

[RoosterRedux]

Look at the trade deficit numbers by month. This is what we are losing as a country. This is why Trump says Mexico will pay for a Wall.

2015 : U.S. trade in goods with Mexico

NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal totals due to rounding.

Month	Exports	Imports	Balance
January 2015	19,143.5	22,061.7	-2,918.2
February 2015	18,127.1	22,476.0	-4,348.9
March 2015	19,869.6	25,369.3	-5,499.8
April 2015	20,055.1	24,454.3	-4,399.1
May 2015	19,632.4	24,191.1	-4,558.8
June 2015	20,484.0	26,591.1	-6,107.1
TOTAL 2015	117,311.7	145,143.6	-27,831.9

2014 : U.S. trade in goods with Mexico

NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars on a nominal basis, not seasonally adjusted unless otherwise specified. Details may not equal totals due to rounding.

Month	Exports	Imports	Balance
January 2014	19,111.7	21,947.1	-2,835.3
February 2014	18,420.1	22,349.3	-3,929.2
March 2014	19,951.1	24,835.9	-4,884.7
April 2014	19,853.5	24,459.2	-4,605.6
May 2014	20,964.1	25,327.4	-4,363.3
June 2014	20,080.0	24,986.0	-4,906.0
July 2014	20,770.2	25,153.4	-4,383.2
August 2014	20,337.9	24,691.5	-4,353.7
September 2014	20,010.1	24,878.6	-4,868.6
October 2014	22,298.8	27,414.3	-5,115.4
November 2014	19,669.9	24,188.2	-4,518.2
December 2014	18,781.2	23,843.2	-5,062.0
TOTAL 2014	240,248.7	294,074.1	-53,825.4

[I am Richard Brandon]

Lots of folks here dumping on Trump. Trolls or Trump haters?

[cripplecreek]

Conservatives who actually still believe in vetting candidates.

[BRL]

He doesn’t answer because he cannot tell you in advance exactly how he is going to do it. Once he gets in power and then he can figure out in a practical way how to get the job done

[CodeToad]

“He NEVER answers HOW he will do anything!”

Are you really thinking the limited time he has he needs to go into all the details with you?? Besides, anyone with a brain knows these things are not 100% detailed as they are suggested. A wise man plans the details later.

[CodeToad]

“Trump knows perfectly well that Mexico won’t pay for a wall because he says so. He also knows perfectly well that this kind of empty rhetoric appeals to a certain mindset of voter.”

BS. I think the same thing. Mexico will pay for the wall if they want to continue business with the US,

[I am Richard Brandon]

I am honored by your reply!

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

But I thought that Mexico was the new China and make a killing and raking in the dough? I guess not.

You might want to tell Trump that. LOL.

[Logical me]

I think Trump will do it using the trade deficit. Maybe when Ford start shipping cars to the US from Mexico a tariff will be assessed on each vehicle which would in effect pay for the wall. Get it. I might be wrong but possible.