The Mexican president has publicly contradicted the American billionaire after a closed-doors meeting. The real estate mogul had previously claimed that Mexico would foot the bill for a controversial border wall.
Image: Reuters/H. Romero
Advertisement
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday said he told US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that Mexico would not pay for a wall the real estate magnate has proposed as a means to curb irregular migration.
"At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall," Nieto wrote in a tweet written in his native Spanish.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump claimed that while the two politicians discussed the wall at a closed-doors meeting, "We didn't discuss payment of the wall."
The provocative billionaire has previously stated that Mexico would foot the bill for his hallmark campaign promise of building a wall.
The meeting on Wednesday, ahead of Trump's highly anticipated speech on his immigration policy, made the surprise visit to Mexico in the middle of the presidential race, hoping to seize the opportunity to show himself as a capable statesman internationally.
Trump has frequently lashed out at Mexico, including calling the country a source of rapists and criminals as well as slamming the country for profiting from a decades-old free trade deal.
Nieto has responded to Trump's controversial comments, likening them to statements made by notorious dictators, including Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini.
Americans are set to cast their votes for the next president on November 8, with Trump trailing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in surveys among likely voters.
ls/gsw (AP, Reuters, AFP)
Trump's unpopular buildings around the world
Donald Trump's massive real estate portfolio has brought the Republican presidential nominee plenty of cash - but also headaches. DW takes a critical look at some of the billionaire's buildings around the world.
Image: Getty Images/O.Kose
Casting a long shadow in Las Vegas
The Democrats had to hold their first TV debate literally in Trump's shadow in October 2015. With the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Las Vegas towering over the luxury Wynn resort, where the TV event took place, the Republican presidential hopeful made sure that his name still got some of the attention. The Trump complex in Las Vegas is the third tallest building in town.
Image: Getty Images/J.Raedle
Opposition in Chicago
Many people in Chicago expressed their opposition to Trump's name being featured on the Trump Hotel and Tower there. Mayor Rahm Emanuel even called it "tacky and tasteless" and tried to have the letters banned. However, five years later, Donald Trump finally managed to get his name in letters across the 16th floor. The building occupies the previous site of the Chicago Sun Times.
Image: Getty Images/S. Olson
Scandal in Atlantic City
The Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was completed in 1990 at a total cost of nearly $1 billion. Donald Trump was at the helm of the casino cum hotel for almost 25 years when it came to the brink of bankruptcy in 2014. It was taken over by Icahn Enterprises, but kept the Trump branding. Its sister hotel Trump Plaza, located on the same strip, did eventually close due to insolvency.
Image: Getty Images/W.T.Cain
Towering over the streets of Manhattan
Trump Tower in New York is rumored to be Donald Trump's pride and joy. The Fifth Avenue address in Manhattan does not only provide headquarters for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but also features some well-known tenants, including soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, actor Bruce Willis and musical theater composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Trump and his family also reside in the luxury tower.
Image: picture-alliance/AA
A controversial New York landmark
With an airy atrium occupying six floors and a great deal of marble and gold detail, some New Yorkers consider Trump Tower on 725 Fifth Avenue in bad taste, while others see it as elegant and timeless. With its interiors designed by Edward Barnes Larrabe and the exteriors built by Der Scutt, Trump Tower has become a magnet for aficionados of contemporary architecture - as well as for Trump fans.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S.Reboredo
Rags and riches in Panama City
The Trump Ocean Club in Panama City features a hotel, 700 apartments and its very own yacht club. The tallest building in Latin America is recognized throughout the region for its iconic shape. The tower has attracted criticism for neighboring a poverty-ridden slum, making it difficult to find tenants. But Trump had just sold his name to developer Roger Khafif, so he hasn't lost money on it.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Arangua
Scottish resistance
Though he did build the "world's greatest golf course" - as Trump refers to his Trump International Golf Links estate near Aberdeen, Scotland - it was held up by local farmer Michael Forbes, who to this day refuses to sell his land bordering the lavish resort to the property mogul. Visiting the golf resort in June, Trump praised the UK's Brexit vote - ignoring Scotland's vote to remain in the EU.
Image: Getty Images/J.-J. Mitchell
Erdogan versus Trump
Trump Towers Istanbul are the first Trump buildings in Europe and have become famous for their massive wine cellar. But there have been calls to remove Trump's name from the skyscraper, which he only licenses out to the owner of the complex, Turkish billionaire Aydin Dogan; Trump's remarks about Islam have alienated many Muslims in Turkey, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself.
