Geronimo Gutierrez Fernandez, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S., said Tuesday that the future of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Mexico depends on the “maturity” of leaders on both sides.
“We’re at a poignant time in which we can have, in spite of differences, a much more mature relationship that works for both sides. It’s as simple as that; we want a relationship that works,” said Gutierrez Fernandez in a speech just two days after the Mexican general election.
During the discussion, hosted by the Hudson Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., the ambassador reiterated the opinion he presented at his confirmation in January 2017, where he told the Mexican Senate that U.S. and Mexican relations were in a “critical state.”
The ambassador conceded before the audience that Mexico has not done enough to crack down on drug cartels, going as far as to call that an “understatement.”
Fernandez pointed to illegal Mexican migrants crossing into the U.S. saying, “We’re losing some of our best people.” That stands in contrast to what Trump said in 2015, while announcing his presidential bid, saying Mexico wasn’t sending “their best.”
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” Trump said. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.
Trump has also roiled Mexicans leadership with his tough talk about making the country pay for a border wall, and on other issues, such as trade.
Addressing the election of left-wing populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to the Mexican presidency on Sunday, Fernandez spoke frankly saying there was a fair amount of “gringo-bashing” on Trump in the campaign, but nothing resembling “anti-American sentiment.”
The Mexican president-elect has made headlines for throwing fiery rhetoric at Trump, even publishing a collection of his speeches lambasting the U.S. president and comparing his rhetoric to that of Nazis, the Independent reported.
So far, since his victory, the dynamic between Lopez Obrador and Trump has been cordial. Trump congratulated him on Twitter, and Lopez Obrador later said he and Trump shared a “respectful” conversation over the phone.
Towards the end of his talk, Fernandez said there is much to be done with renegotiating trade deals, immigration, and border security, but that can only be accomplished if we are communicating in a way that is “frank, open, and continual.”
