UPDATE: 2:55 p.m.
On Mexican soil for the first time as the Republican presidential nominee, a firm but measured Donald Trump defended the right of the United States to build a massive border wall along its southern flank, standing up for the centerpiece of his immigration plan in a country where he is widely despised.
Trump, who previously derided Mexico as a source of rapists and criminals, praised Mexicans Wednesday as "amazing people" following a closed-door meeting at the official residence of the country's president, Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump and the Mexican president, who has compared the New York billionaire to Adolf Hitler, addressed reporters from adjacent lecterns before a Mexican flag.
The trip, 10 weeks before America's presidential Election Day, came just hours before the Republican nominee was to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Arizona about illegal immigration. That has been a defining issue of his presidential campaign, but also one on which he's appeared to waver in recent days
With political risks high for both men, Trump stayed on script, declining to repeat his promise to force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border between the two countries when pressed by reporters.
"Having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial," he said, reading from prepared remarks. "We recognize and respect the right of any country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons. Cooperation toward achieving this shared objective — and it will be shared — of safety for all citizens is paramount to both the United States and to Mexico."
Trump's presence on Wednesday, his first meeting with a head of state abroad as a presidential candidate, sparked anger and protests across Mexico's capital city. A former Mexican president bluntly told the celebrity businessman that, despite Pena Nieto's hospitality, he was not welcome.
"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt."
Pena Nieto was less combative as he addressed reporters alongside Trump. He acknowledged the two men had differences and defended the contribution of Mexicans working in the United States, but he described the conversation as "open and constructive." He and Trump shook hands as the session ended.
ORIGINAL
Donald Trump is making a quick trip to Mexico on Wednesday, meeting with the president of a nation he derided at the start of his White House campaign as a source of rapists and criminals coming to the U.S.
The trip, a politically risky move with just 10 weeks until Election Day, comes just hours before Trump delivers a highly anticipated speech on illegal immigration. That's been a defining issue of his presidential campaign, but also one on which he's appeared to waver in recent days.
While he's accepting an invitation from President Enrique Pena Nieto to visit, Trump will nevertheless arrive in a country where he is widely despised. Protests are expected, and both a former Mexican president and first lady bluntly told the billionaire New Yorker that, despite Pena Nieto's hospitality, he's not welcome.
"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," former Mexican President Vicente Fox told CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt." Added former first lady Margarita Zavala on Twitter: "We Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech."
After saying during his Republican primary campaign he would use a "deportation force" to expel all of the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally," Trump suggested last week he could soften that stance. He is under pressure to clarify just where he stands in a speech that's been rescheduled several times as he and his staff have sent varied and conflicting messages on the issue.
"The American people are going to see more clearly that there's one candidate in this race who's prepared to take the steps necessary to end the flood of illegal immigration," Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said Wednesday on CNN.
The buildup to the speech was abruptly interrupted Tuesday night by the news that Trump would make the visit, accepting on short notice an invitation offered last week by Pena Nieto. The newspaper El Universal wrote in an editorial that Trump "caught Mexican diplomats off guard."
Trump's only previous overseas trip as a presidential candidate came earlier this summer when he flew to Scotland for a few days for the re-opening of one of his golf resorts.
Trump has promised, if elected, to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, force Mexico to build a huge wall to secure the nearly 2,000-mile border and renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement to make it more favourable to the United States. Pena Nieto has condemned Trump's language and even compared him to Adolf Hitler.
But Pence argued that Trump's decision to quickly accept the invitation and head to Mexico City was a sign of strong leadership.