After making many comments concerning undocumented immigrants and promising to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, Donald Trump accepted the invitation of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to meet and discuss political views this past Wednesday, August 31, 2016.
This last-minute trip concluded in the realization that countries do not always agree on everything. However, the meeting of these two political figures was, according to the word of Pena Nieto to reporters, open and constructive. The President also noted that "the next president will find in Mexico and its government a neighbor who wants to work constructively to strengthen ever more the relationship between their nations."
Despite this claimed "open and constructive" conversation concerning the future of the two countries, Trump did not hesitate to say that he will, in fact, continue to promote the building of a wall on the southern border, saying that we, as a people and country, "recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its border to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons."
Trump has been under media fire since the beginning of his presidential campaign due to comments made that have labeled him to many Americans as a racist, especially in his stance against illegal immigrants.
A little more than a year ago, Trump claimed that undocumented immigrants are bringing "drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists." In relation to this statement, he has continued to blast undocumented immigrants, simultaneously losing and gaining supporters by doing so.
Due to these comments and the want to build the wall, many Mexicans, as well as Mexican-Americans in the Chicago and Los Angeles area, were opposed to Trump meeting with President Pena Nieto.
Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, states his opinion: "He is not welcome to Mexico. By 130 million people, we don't like him, we don't want him." With such a strong opinion from the people, it is strange to see that President Pena Nieto would even offer Trump the opportunity to come and share ideas.
To many, this meeting between a President and a presidential candidate has been seen as a political stunt, one that Trump, according to Vicente Fox, is using "to boost his sinking poll numbers". This attempt to create favour from a country could be a vital move, and many believe that it will not work.
It is difficult to say for sure whether or not Trumps meeting with President Pena Nieto was a success or a failed attempt at understanding each other quite yet. The American and Mexican populations have their own opinions about this, and the divided opinions have been focused on what President Pena Nieto did and did not do in response to Trump's claims and statements.
Personally, I do believe that Trump could have been attempting to gain favour with Mexico through this visit. He is in a presidential fight, and he is thinking about ways to improve his own image. However, this visit does matter to both countries simply because it shows what Trump is willing to do.
This visit was a political meeting, and despite the negative reviews and opinions, it was a decision that was made and ultimately affected both countries even in the slightest way.
Events like this matter, especially when they fall close to an election. We, as voters, are responsible for forming our own opinions about each candidate and making a decision based on the beliefs and ideas that we, as individuals, agree with.
In this sense, every move that Trump makes is vital to us because it affects us in negative or positive ways. In the end, a simple visit to Mexico could ultimately make or break the election for him, and that's why that visit matters.
