Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said that Mexico will “NEVER” finance a wall separating Mexico from the U.S., after President Trump doubled down Tuesday night on his campaign promise that Mexico would foot the bill for a border wall.
“President @realDonaldTrump: NO. Mexico will NEVER pay for a wall. Not now, not ever,” Nieto tweeted Tuesday evening.
President @realDonaldTrump: NO. Mexico will NEVER pay for a wall. Not now, not ever.
Sincerely, Mexico (all of us).
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) May 30, 2018
Mexico has historically said that it will not pay for a wall, but Nieto’s comments come after Trump criticized Mexico on Tuesday for doing “nothing” to help the U.S. stop illegal immigration.
“In the end, Mexico is going to pay for the wall,” Trump said at a rally in Nashville Tuesday.
“They do absolutely nothing to stop people from going through Mexico, from Honduras and all these other countries … They do nothing to help us,” Trump added.
Trump has long discussed constructing a wall along the southern border and has exerted pressure on lawmakers to secure funds for building it. He got $1.6 billion for wall construction in the omnibus bill he signed in March, but he had originally called for $25 billion. The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill keeps the government funded through Sept. 30.
Last month, National Guard troops were deployed to help secure the border.
