A former Mexican president has accused Donald Trump of making “another promise he can’t keep” after the President-elect claimed Mexico would reimburse the US taxpayer for any money spent on building a border wall between the two countries.
Vicente Fox Quesada, who led the National Action Party between 2000 and 2006, called the wall a “racist monument” and denied the Republican leader's claims that the country would pay for its construction.
“Trump may ask whoever he wants, but still neither myself nor Mexico are going to pay for his racist monument. Another promise he can't keep,” Mr Fox wrote on Twitter.
It came as House Republicans revealed Mr Trump’s plans to use public funds for the estimated $14 billion (£11 billion) project, in a U-turn on his repeated pledge to make Mexico fund the wall outright.
Mr Trump appeared to confirm reports on Friday by saying US funds would only be used "for sake of speed” and would subsequently be repaid by its neighbour country.
“The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!” he wrote on Twitter.
Despite Mr Trump’s assurances, he did not clarify how he intended to force the Mexican government to repay the US.
"We've been very clear that Mexico will never consider paying for a wall that puts barriers between our two countries,” Mexican Foreign Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu said in November.
“We will not pay for it, because it goes against everything we believe our two countries can do together, are doing together.”
In September, current Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto wrote on Twitter: "I repeat what I told you personally Mr Trump: Mexico will never pay for a wall."
