Mexico tells Donald Trump it won't pay for US Presidential candidate's proposed border wall
US GOP Candidate for 2016 and former "The Apprentice" host Donald Trump is known for his outrageous statements and quotes -- from that time in 2012 when he tweeted:
It's freezing and snowing in New York--we need global warming!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
to
An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012
and even
"I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I'm more honest and my women are more beautiful."
One of Trump's most talked about sentiments, and a pillar of his presidential campaign, is his promise to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing borders if he gets elected. He has taken aim at Mexicans frequently since the launch of his campaign last summer, saying they bring crime and drugs to the US and are “rapists”.
He said in 2015:
"I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”
In February this year, the real estate magnate added it would cost about US$8 billion to build the Mexico Wall -- a figure he derived at from "multiplying the number of miles by a certain number". He has also insisted several times that Mexico would be made to pay for the wall.
According to CNN, while Trump's statements have been slammed numerous times by Mexican leaders in the past, including by former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, last week was the first time President Enrique Peña Nieto's office had directly responded to Trump's proposal.
On Wednesday, Mexican Treasury Secretary Luis Videgaray told Mexican broadcaster Milenio Tv in an interview that "there is no scenario in which Mexico will pay for this wall that is being proposed by the United States presidential hopeful".
He went on to explain that not only should public money be used to benefit the Mexican people, building a wall didn't make sense when there are actually more Americans travelling to Mexico than Mexicans immigrating to the US.
"To build a wall between Mexico and the United States is a terrible idea. It is an idea that is based on ignorance, that has no basis in the reality of North American integration," Videgaray said.
"We [also] have enormous necessities and much more important uses for the public budget, which comes from the taxes that Mexicans pay," he said. "And, of course, it would never be used in any scenario to pay for a project of this nature."
Rather than building bigger walls that would break down US and Mexico's trade relationship, Videgaray said more should be done to facilitate openness between both countries.
"What both countries need is better border infrastructure," he said. "Better bridges, more customs booths, more lanes."
