Trump and Mexican President Have Tense Hour-Long Phone Conversation

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by Micah J. Fleck

As tensions continue to rise, the orange one and the president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, reportedly had an hour-long phone conversation to discuss the U.S.-Mexican relations moving forward into the Trump era.

According to the story:

President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto spoke for an hour by phone Friday amid rising tensions over the U.S. leader’s plans for a southern border wall, administration officials said.

Trump and Pena Nieto had been expected to meet in Washington next week, but the Mexican president abruptly canceled his visit on Thursday. His decision came after Trump moved forward with plans to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and have Mexico pay for construction.

Following the cancellation, Trump’s spokesman said the White House would seek to pay for the border wall by slapping a 20 percent tax on all imports from Mexico, as well as on other countries the U.S. has a trade deficit with. The White House later cast the proposal as just one option to pay for the wall.

The strong reaction from Mexico signaled a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. The U.S. and Mexico conduct some $1.6 billion a day in cross-border trade, and cooperate on everything from migration to drug enforcement to major environmental issues.

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