President Trump sidestepped calling Mexico an ally Thursday in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“We don’t need them,” Trump said about Mexico, after defending tariffs on goods from the country for its failure to stem the influx of illegal immigration into the United States. “They need us. They stole 32% of our car business with NAFTA, one of the truly stupid deals of our time.”
“They’re an important ally of the United States,” Ingraham replied.
“How do you define ally?” Trump asked.
“Well it’s one of our most important trading partners,” Ingraham said.
“K, fine, and yet they send in $500 billion dollars worth of drugs. We will never do that kind of trade. They send in drugs, illegal drugs, $500 billion. A hundred thousand people are killed, dead every year from what comes through our southern border,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments follow attempts by Mexico to reach a deal after the president said he would be placing a 5% tariff on all imported Mexican goods until they stopped the influx of illegal immigration into the United States.
The president’s interview with Ingraham preceded a speech Trump gave Thursday commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing during World War II.
