He'll let Mexico get all huffy and indignant for a while and then drop the boom on them. Instead capitulating on the deal, like Obama always did when he was making lame attempts at "negotiating"--which he knew nothing about, he will slowly make Mexico realize they're holding very few playable cards in their hand.
And then Trump will make them a deal they can't refuse, and they will end up paying for the wall, one way or another. This is all preliminary staking out of each side's territories for what is to come. Trump definitely has the upper hand. He won't be outmaneuvered by Nieto.
President Nieto is on a leaking boat that is taking on more water than he can manage to bail, with only about 12% support in his country. He caused his own currency, the peso, to crash when he cancelled the Trump meeting. I think that is what Trump was expecting. Nieto will come around eventually.
I heard Trump say a couple of times, “The American people have already paid dearly for the bad NAFTA deal and the open border. It’s time Mexico stepped up and paid some.”
Exciting times !
Donald J. TrumpJoint Statement on U.S. - Mexico Relations
The United States President Donald J. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto spoke by phone this morning for an hour. The call was mutually arranged by their teams.
The two had a productive and constructive call regarding the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the current trade deficit the United States has with Mexico, the importance of the friendship between the two nations, and the need for the two nations to work together to stop drug cartels, drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales.
With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.
Both presidents have instructed their teams to continue the dialogue to strengthen this important strategic and economic relationship in a constructive way.
Donald J. TrumpJoint Statement on U.S. - Mexico Relations
The United States President Donald J. Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto spoke by phone this morning for an hour. The call was mutually arranged by their teams.
The two had a productive and constructive call regarding the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the current trade deficit the United States has with Mexico, the importance of the friendship between the two nations, and the need for the two nations to work together to stop drug cartels, drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales.
With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognize their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.
Both presidents have instructed their teams to continue the dialogue to strengthen this important strategic and economic relationship in a constructive way.
President Trump is very savvy. He is setting the stage for Pena to defy and resist Trump publicly , making Pena a hero with the Mexican People, so his party will win the July 2018 national election in Mexico. This will prevent the radical opposition party from gaining power in Mexico, who are ultra socialists and anti-American nationalists.
Behind the scenes Pena and Trump will be working things out.