I’m closing down this live blog now, but will leave you with your essential catch-ups.
Rory Carroll’s report from Trump’s speech in Arizona:
Ben Jacobs on why what we saw tonight is what we’ll get in November:
And the he-said, he-said of the meeting between Trump and Peña Nieto in Mexico:
The alt right certainly enjoyed Trump’s speech tonight. While his return to a fire and brimstone approach to immigration reform may not necessarily appeal to swing voters, it did cast the attention of those fringe elements on the right who have long been drawn to Trump’s campaign.
David Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan:
Excellent speech by Donald Trump tonight. Deport criminal aliens, end catch and release, enforce immigration laws & America First.
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) September 1, 2016
Jared Taylor,one of the godfathers of modern white nationalism in the United States:
#TrumpAZ Hell of a speech. Almost perfect. Logical, deeply felt, and powerfully delivered. Now watch how the media twists it.
— Jared Taylor (@jartaylor) September 1, 2016
Richard Spencer, considered one of the leaders of the alt right, who has helped framed its current identity:
#Trump is back.
— Richard B. Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) September 1, 2016
VDare, an extremist rightwing website that promotes “the racial and cultural identity of America”:
In a sane country, everything Trump has proposed tonight so far would be regarded as so obviously true it wouldn't even be up for debate.
— Virginia Dare (@vdare) September 1, 2016
Trump’s cozy relationship with this ideological fringe has long drawn scrutiny. However, with the hire of Steve Bannon, the head of the far right wing website Breitbart News two weeks ago to be his campaign manager, it brought Trump ties to alt right into forefront in a major speech by Hillary Clinton.
Trump wasn’t the only one to have changed his tone after Wednesday afternoon’s conciliatory meet-the-press alongside Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto.
Speaking to Mexican TV on Wednesday evening, Peña Nieto was rather more strident, Reuters reports:
Mexico’s president rebuked Donald Trump as a threat to his country just hours after painting a positive picture of talks the two held on Wednesday to try to defuse tensions over the US presidential hopeful’s anti-Mexican campaign rhetoric.
In a late evening television interview, an angry-looking Peña Nieto sought to defend himself against a broad swathe of criticism for his decision to invite the Republican candidate despite his repeated verbal attacks on Mexico.
“His policy stances could represent a huge threat to Mexico, and I am not prepared to keep my arms crossed and do nothing,” Peña Nieto said. “That risk, that threat, must be confronted. I told him that is not the way to build a mutually beneficial relationship for both nations.”
During a joint news conference after their meeting, Trump said he and Peña Nieto had not discussed his demand that Mexico pay for the border wall.
But Peña Nieto later contradicted Trump, saying he had told the American that Mexico would not foot the bill, and he bristled during his television interview when asked why he had not made that clear at the news conference.
Reuters also reports, incidentally, that the two men apparently spoke to each other in English in their meeting.
Updated
In case we hadn’t quite got the message:
Mexico will pay for the wall - 100%!#MakeAmericaGreatAgain #ImWithYouhttps://t.co/pSFuPZz0xP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2016
There will be no amnesty!#MakeAmericaGreatAgain #ImWithYouhttps://t.co/vVhzSdCblA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2016
Trailing Hillary Clinton in the polls with fewer than 70 days to the election, Trump and campaign aides had recently fuelled expectations of a “softening” of immigration policy, prompting speculation about a flip-flop.
Instead Wednesday’s speech, which his campaign billed as a major policy address, represented an abrupt reversion to an aggressive tone just hours after an unfamiliar conciliatory timbre in Mexico City, where Trump met President Enrique Peña Nieto.
The GOP nominee geed up the crowd in Phoenix with grisly details about murders committed by undocumented immigrants. He brought on stage “angel moms” whose children had been killed.
He spoke of cancelling an Obama administration programme that gave work permits to about 800,000 young immigrants who came to the US as children – a stance likely to slam shut any chance of Latino outreach.
Anybody who entered the US illegally was subject to deportation and there should be detainers for immigrants who committed any crime, not just felonies, he said: “There will be no amnesty.”
Trump also promised ideological tests for would-be visa applicants, a “sunset” on visa laws requiring Congress to rewrite them every few years, and a ban on taxpayer funding for cities that don’t deport undocumented immigrants.
Updated
Lorella Praeli, national Latino vote director for Hillary for America has this to say on what the campaign is calling Trump’s “anti-immigrant hateful speech”:
In his darkest speech yet, Donald Trump doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric and attempted to divide communities by pitting people against each other and demonizing immigrants.
Trump committed to sending a new ‘deportation task force’ into American communities, rescinding the president’s executive actions to protect DREAMers and their families, building a wall that he continues to claim will be paid for by Mexico, and made clear that ‘Operation Wetback’ was not severe enough.
The only immigrants allowed in the future are those that pass Donald Trump’s own test of ‘desirability’.
Donald Trump once again showed us that he will continue his decades-long record of divisiveness and campaign of hate by pledging to forcibly remove every single undocumented immigrant from our country. He showed us, very clearly, what’s at stake in this election by painting a picture of his idea of America: one in which immigrants are not welcomed and one in which innocent families are torn apart.
One of the new policies outlined by Trump was “ideological certification” of immigrants to the US. It’s not entirely clear what that means, but here’s what he said in the speech:
Another reform involves new screening tests for all applicants that include, and this is so important, especially if you get the right people and we will get the right people, an ideological certification to make sure that those we are admitting to our country share our values and love our people.
Updated
There was no pivoting. There was no softening. There was just Donald Trump.
In Trump’s much heralded immigration speech, the Republican nominee finally put to rest any pretense that he would moderate his views for a general electorate. “There will be no amnesty,” Trump proclaimed to a cheering crowd.
He seemingly went further than that, making clear that he opposed so-called “touchback amnesty”, under which qualifying illegal immigrants could return to their home countries to apply for an expedited path to legal status: “Those who have left to seek entry under this new system will not be awarded surplus visas, but will have to enter under the immigration caps or limits that will be established.”
The speech came after Trump had spent weeks hinting at a “softening”. He even seemed to indicate in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity last week that he might support a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, though he quickly backed off that statement.
There were even signs of a moderate tone earlier Wednesday when Trump met with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto on a surprise visit to Mexico City. At a press conference with Peña Nieto, Trump was restrained and talked about illegal immigration as a humanitarian crisis.
It’s clear now that the debate is over. There will not be a more moderate Trump, there will not be a more compassionate Trump. Instead, the same candidate who warned the day he announced his run, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best … They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists” is the one who will appear before voters in November.
“They might not know it yet,” Trump said mid-speech, but Mexico would “100%” be paying for the wall along the southern US border.
(More on why he didn’t, if he didn’t, bring that up during his meeting with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto just hours earlier – which might have been just the moment! – here.)
Peña Nieto has also been speaking in the last hour or so, and it appears that the “thoughtful and substantitive [sic] conversation” Trump described might not have been all that nice after all.
The Mexican president said in a television interview late on Wednesday evening that Trump’s policies posed grave threats to Mexico. Peña Nieto said he had invited Trump to visit to confront those threats.
It’s not clear how that’s working out.
Trump spoke mainly from his teleprompter tonight, but couldn’t resist breaking off every now and then to add his own emphases and interjections:
Trump: "...we will issue detainers for illegal immigrants who are arrested for any crime whatsoever..." pic.twitter.com/uttoE3ZCqi
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) September 1, 2016
Associated Press has had a go at fact-checking some of the claims in Trump’s speech tonight. It’s pretty long. Here are just a couple:
On people illegally in the US
Trump: “They’re treated better than our vets.”
The facts: People in the country illegally do not have the right to work, vote or receive most government benefits. A modest number have been exempted from deportation because of an Obama administration action, but most live under the risk of being removed from the country.
Veterans are guaranteed government health care and because almost all are citizens, the right to vote and other government benefits.
The quality of their care has been criticized by Trump and others, but people in the country illegally do not have equivalent rights to health care, except for emergency treatment. Public hospitals are required to provide emergency medical care regardless of immigration status.
On the number of people in the US illegally
Trump: “Our government has no idea. It could be 3 million, it could be 30 million. They have no idea.”
The facts: The government actually has an idea. The homeland security department estimates there are 11.4 million people in the United States illegally. Few in the immigration debate challenge that estimate.
The figure comes from an analysis of the most recent census data. The government compares the number of people whom the census reports as foreign-born with the number of people who have been admitted legally and gained citizenship. The most recent estimate dates to January 2012. It roughly matches the estimates of demographers from the Pew Foundation, which issues its estimates more rapidly than the government.
Experts believe the number of people in the US illegally has been steadily declining as Mexicans and others return to their home country and illegal border crossings dwindle.
Today in Campaign 2016
Let’s just focus on the key aspects of Donald Trump’s speech:
Donald Trump’s speech on immigration, anticipated by some to be a “softening” - as the candidate himself described it - on the issue, instead was a retrenchment in some of his most aggressive policies, including ideological tests for would-be visa applicants and the creation of a deportation force to hunt down undocumented immigrants residing in the United States, and included some new ones that have never been mentioned by a mainstream presidential candidate in the modern era.
Trump’s proposals included: the construction of a 2,000-mile border wall along the US-Mexico border, to be paid for by Mexico; the implementation of new restrictions on legal immigration into the US; a “sunset” on visa laws requiring Congress to rewrite them every few years; a ban on taxpayer funding for cities that don’t deport undocumented immigrants.
The tone of the speech was not dissimilar to that of a Breitbart News article on the subject - appropriate, given that Trump campaign operatives revealed to reporters after the speech’s commencement that former Breitbart chair Stephen Bannon was instrumental in the speech’s crafting.
The tone of the speech outpaces even Trump’s own aggressive rhetoric on undocumented immigrants, and effectively puts the lid on any claims that he is moving towards the center with less than 70 days to go until the general election.
Not all conservatives are pleased, however.
A member of Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board:
Extremely disappointed.
— Tony Suarez-NHCLC VP (@tonysuarez80) September 1, 2016
Donald Trump, in conclusion:
Now is the time for the media to begin asking questions on their behalf. Now is the time for all of us as one country, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, to band together to deliver justice and safety and security for all Americans. Let’s fix this horrible, horrible problem. It can be fixed quickly. Let’s secure our border. Let’s stop the drugs and the crime from pouring into our country.
November 8 - we have to get everybody to go out and vote. We’re gonna take our country back, folks - this is a movement. We’re gonna take our country back! Thank you. Thank you. This is an incredible movement - the world is talking about it. The world is talking about it.
Together, we can save America itself.
Join me in this mission - we’re going to make America great again!
Hillary Clinton is now fundraising off of Donald Trump’s address on immigration:
Donald Trump could actually be our next president. Chip in before midnight to make sure that never happens: https://t.co/whE5Bls0pq
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 1, 2016
Mothers and partners of American citizens murdered by undocumented immigrants are approaching the lectern, one by one, as Donald Trump stands by.
“We will discuss fate of undocumented residents after we build the wall and deport the criminals,” Donald Trump declares.
“These are matters of life and death for our country, and its people, and we deserve answers from Hillary Clinton,” Trump says. “She doesn’t have the strength or the stamina to make America great again - believe me.”
The former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan is a fan:
The result was the release of thousands and thousands of criminal aliens that should have been sent home to their countries. - Trump
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) September 1, 2016
“I believe we should sunset our visa laws so that Congress is forced to periodically revise and revisit them to bring them up to date,” Donald Trump proposes.
“Let’s now talk about the big picture: These ten steps, if rigorously followed and enforced, will accomplish more in a matter of months than our politicians have... in the last 50 years.”
“Because I am not beholden to any special interest, I’ve spent a lot of money on my campaign, lemme tell you, I write those checks. Nobody owns Trump,” Trump says. “I will get this done for you and for your family. We’ll do this right.”
“Peace and law and justice and prosperity will prevail - crime will go down, border crossings will plummet, gangs will disappear,” Trump continues, “and welfare use will decrease.”
“We will break the cycle of amensty and illegal immigration - we will break the cycle. There will be no amnesty. Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering out country. Can’t do it.”
“This declaration alone will help stop the crisis of illegal crossings and illegal overstays,” Trump says. “You can’t just smuggle in, hunker down, and wait to be legalized. Those days are over.”
Donald Trump proposes limiting legal immigration
Speaking at the Phoenix Convention Center, Donald Trump proposed limiting legal immigration to the United States.
“We now have an obligation to them and to their children to control future immigration,” Trump says, of legal immigration. “Within just a few years, immigration as a share of national population is set to break all historical records. The time has come for a new immigration commission to... keep immigration levels measured by population share.”
“We need a sytem that serves our needs - not the needs of others. Remmeber, under a Trump administration, it’s called America First. Remember that.”
“To choose immigrants based on merit - merit - skill and proficiency, doesn’t that sound nice? And to establish new immigration controls to boost wages... and that in particular African American and Latino workers who are being shut out in this process so unfairly.”
“Beyond violating our laws, visa overstays represent a vital threat to our national security,” Donald Trump continues.
“Then we have a completely open border, and we no longer have a country. We must send a message that visa expiration dates will be strongly enforced.”
The Clinton campaign’s digital director:
I'm really sorry for anyone watching this monster and afraid for your family. We're better than this.
— Jenna Lowenstein (@just_jenna) September 1, 2016
“Applicants will be asked about their views on honor killings, respect for women and gays and other minorities,” Trump says, of his new “extreme vetting” process.
“Very, very few will slip through the cracks - hopefully none.”
“There are at least 23 countries that refuse to take their people back after they’ve been ordered to leave the United States,” Trump says. “Not gonna happen with me, folks! Not gonna happen with me.”
Donald Trump proposes a new vetting process for countries including Syria and Libya - “we have no idea who they are, where they come from, there’s no documentation.”
“I call it extreme vetting! Extreme vetting! I want extreme! It’s going to be so tough.”
“For the price of resettling one refugee in the United States, 12 could be resettled in a safe zone in their home country!” Trump says, saying that the safe zones will be paid for by “the Gulf states.”
Donald Trump on the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States:
Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation - that is what it means to have laws and have a country.
Ann Coulter approves.
Wow. This doesn't sound like "softening." GO, TRUMP!!!
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) September 1, 2016
“Number four: block funding for sanctuary cities. We block the funding - no more funding.”
Those cities “have resulted in so many needless deaths,” Donald Trump says. He will cut federal tax dollars from being received by those cities.
“Number five: cancel unconstitutional executive orders and enforce all immigration laws. We will immediately terminate President Obama’s two amnesties... to give amnety [sic] to approximately five million illegal immigrants.”
Donald Trump proposes creation of 'deportation task force'
Donald Trump has officially proposed the creation of a deportation task force as a component of ICE, which will hunt undocumented immigrants to deport from the United States.
“I am going to create a new, special deportation task force focused on identifying and quickly removing the most dangerous illegal immigrants in America, who have evaded justice, just as Hillary Clinton has evaded justice.”
“Maybe they’ll be able to deport her!”
“I’ve had a chance to spend time with these incredible law enforcement officers, and I want to take a moment to thank them - what they do is incredible.”
Donald Trump proposes 'joint operation' to sweep all 'criminal aliens' from United States
Donald Trump’s policy address continues:
“Number three: zero tolerance for criminal aliens. Zero! Zero!”
“We will begin moving them out, day one, as soon as I take office. Day one! In joint operation with local, state and federal law enforcement.”
“My first hour in office, those people are gone! And you can call it deported if you want,” Trump says. “You can call it whatever the hell you want - they’re gone.”
“Their days have run out in this country. The crime will stop - they’re going to be gone. It will be over. They’re going out, they’re going out fast.”
Trump pledges that any undocumented immigrant who is arrested for any crime will immediately will be deported - a first, even for him.
Updated
Donald Trump finally gets to the “detailed” part of his “detailed policy address.”
“Number one - are you ready? Are you ready?” he asks the crowd. “We will build a great wall along the southern border!”
“And Mexico will pay for the wall, believe me,” he continues. “Hundred percent.”
“They don’t know it yet, but they’re gonna pay for the wall. They’re great people, and great leaders, but they’re gonna pay for the wall.”
“An impenetrable, tall, powerful, beautiful” wall to stop “criminal cartels” coming from Mexico, which has “a wonderful, wonderful precedent.”
The wall will include above- and below-ground sensors, towers and other technology to detect undocumented immigrants, Trump says.
“Number two: we are going to end catch-and-release,” Trump says. “ANyone who illegally crosses the border will be detained until they are removed out of our country and returned to the country from which they came. And they’ll be brought great distances - they’re not gonna be dropped right across.”
Donald Trump vows to treat undocumented immigrants living in the US “humanely,” but that consideration comes second to the welfare of US citizens.
“We will be fair, just and compassionate to all, but our greatest compassion must be for our American citizens.”
“Hillary Clinton has pledged amnesty in her first 100 days, and her plan will provide Obamacare, social security and Medicare for illegal immigrants breaking the federal budget! On top of that, she promises uncontrolled, low-skill immigration that continues to reduce jobs and wages for American workers, especially for African American and Hispanic workers within our country - our citizens!”
“We have no idea who these people are, where they come from. I always say, Trojan Horse. Watch what’s gonna happen, folks.”
Donald Trump: 11 million undocumented immigrants 'will never be a central issue'
“Most illegal immigrants are lower-skill workers with poor education,” Donald Trump says, “who draw out more from the system than they can ever pay back.”
“The truth is, the central issue is not the needs of the 11 million illegal immigrants, or however many there may be - and honestly we’ve been hearing that number for years, it’s always 11 million, it could be 3 million, it could be 30 million, our government has no idea,” Trump continues. “But whatever the number, that’s never really been the central issue. It will never be a central issue. It doesn’t matter from that standpoint.”
Anyone who tells you differently Trump says, “has simply spent too much time in Washington.”
“Nothing even comes a close second” to the welfare of the American people, Trump says.
“We have to be prepared to talk honestly and without fear about these important and very sensitive issues,” Trump tells the crowd. “Not everyone who seeks to join our country will be able to successfully assimilate - sometimes it’s just not gonna work out. It’s our right as a sovereign nation to choose immigrants that we think are the most likely to thrive and love us.”
“Countless innocent American lives have been stolen because politicians have failed their duty to secure our borders and enforce our laws like they out to be enforced!” Trump continues. “So many, many people. So sad.”
From inside the hall, the Guardian’s Rory Carroll:
#trump takes the stage. 'That's quite a crowd.. So many people.' pic.twitter.com/IwYVOBHFTx
— Rory Carroll (@rorycarroll72) September 1, 2016
Rather than a rally, Donald Trump tells the audience, he will deliver “a detailed policy address on one of the greatest challenges facing our country today: illegal immigration.”
Fresh from his meeting with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, “a man who truly loves his country,” Trump tells the audience at the Phoenix Convention Center that he and Peña Nieto discussed “it was a thoughtful and substantitive [sic] conversation and it will go on for a while, and in the end, we’re all gonna win - both countries.”
“We’re gonna go about creating a new relationship between our two countries - but it’s going to be a fair relationship.”
“Thank you, Phoenix! I am so glad to be back in Arizona! A state that has a very, very special place in my heart. I love the people of Arizona, and together we are going to win the White House in November!”
“This is where it all began for me,” Trump says.
Donald Trump gives immigration address in Phoenix
After being introduced by onetime New York City mayor and full-time campaign surrogate Rudy Giuliani - who wore a “MAKE MEXICO GREAT AGAIN ALSO” hat - Alabama senator Jeff Sessions and running mate Mike Pence, Donald Trump has taken to the lectern at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Watch it live here:
Mike Pence takes the stage in Phoenix
Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence has taken the stage at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, before Donald Trump’s address on immigration.
“Tonight it is my privilege to introduce a man I have come to know, a man who loves his family, and loves this country with an unshakeable faith in the American people, and that man is Donald Trump!”
“Tonight, in this setting, Donald Trump will address that issue that from the outset of this campaign, he and he alone, put at the center of our national debate: ending illegal immigration once and for all!”
“Donald Trump knows that for America to be safe and prosperous, our borders must be secure, and our laws must be enforced!” Pence says. “In 69 days, the American people can elect a leader who will actually do it. Donald Trump will marshall the national will to get Congress to take steps finally end this economic and humanitarian crisis.”
Updated
Hillary Clinton has issued her first direct comment:
Trump just failed his first foreign test. Diplomacy isn't as easy as it looks. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 1, 2016
This hat is literally happening:
I thought everyone was kidding, but there it is.
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) September 1, 2016
Rudy Giuliani, wearing a "MAKE MEXICO GREAT AGAIN ALSO" hat. pic.twitter.com/YWHkZlne9c
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto reportedly told Donald Trump, point-blank, that Mexico would never pay for a border wall, to which Trump did not respond.
EPN spox to @davidluhnow: EPN told Trump no wall $$, Trump didnt react. "Mr. Trump was not lying ... because there was no discussion."
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) September 1, 2016
Mexico’s foreign minister:
En reunión con @realDonaldTrump, el Presidente @EPN expresó el agravio e indignación de mexicanos por insultos y ofensas.
— Claudia Ruiz Massieu (@ruizmassieu) September 1, 2016
Translation: “In a meeting with Donald Trump, the President expressed the grievance and outrage of Mexicans by insults and offenses.”
Clinton campaign statement on Trump’s meeting in Mexico:
Today in his Mexico press conference, Donald Trump lied about discussing how to pay for his wall with the Mexican president. Trump has boasted for months that he is going to get Mexico to pay for his ridiculous wall but when he came face to face with the Mexican president he got out maneuvered and then tried to cover it up on worldwide TV. Simply put, Donald got rolled.
It turns out Trump didn’t just choke, he got beat in the room and lied about it.
So Laura Ingraham is onboard with Nafta now...?
Hillary gave a snippy speech to tepid applause today. @realDonaldTrump stood side by side with our biggest trading partner.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) August 31, 2016
According to ABC reporter Ines de La Cuetara, Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence is unwilling to commit to the idea of Mexico paying for “the wall,” the 2,000-mile border wall Donald Trump has long proposed for America’s southern border.
“Give me a couple of hours and I’ll give you a real solid answer to that question. I don’t want to get in front of Donald Trump’s speech tonight,” Pence said. “There’s not gonna be any change in the foundation and principles.”
Maine governor: I will not resign
Paul LePage, the governor of Maine and lightning rod for controversy, told reporters today that he will not resign from office after a curse-ridden voice message for a state representative went public, in which he expressed a wish to shoot the official dead because he had called LePage a racist.
“I will not resign,” LePage said, less than a day after musing in an on-air interview with a local radio journalist that he might step down from office after calling Maine representative Drew Gattine a “little son-of-a-bitch socialist cocksucker.”
Hillary Clinton’s side-door shade:
“I will never lie to you.” —Donald Trump, August 18, 2016 https://t.co/O1GwI0FhzA
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 31, 2016
Peña Nieto told Trump Mexico would not pay for border wall
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto told Donald Trump during their private meeting today that Mexico would not pay for Trump’s proposed 2,000-mile barrier along the US-Mexico border, according to his Twitter feed.
Al inicio de la conversación con Donald Trump dejé claro que México no pagará por el muro.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016
Translation: “At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.”
Peña Nieto followed up, declaring that “From there, the conversation addressed other issues, and followed in a respectful manner.”
A partir de ahí, la conversación abordó otros temas, y se desarrolló de manera respetuosa.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016
Trump told reporters after the meeting that although the wall had been discussed, payment for the wall had not.
Updated
Mexicans furious that Donald Trump came to their country to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto mercilessly mocked both their leader and the Republican presidential nominee on Wednesday.
As former presidents, well-known politicians and activists railed against Trump’s attitudes and policies , a flurry of memes appeared online insulting the meeting and the complicated history between the US and Mexico.
Author Antonio Ortuño compared Wednesday’s event to Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés – who led the fall of the Aztec empire – meeting with the Aztec emperor Montezuma.
Moctezuma invitó a almorzar a Hernán Cortés y le fue súper bien. Eso le dijeron sus asesores a Peña Nieto. Y allá vamos.
— Antonio Ortuño (@AntonioOrtugno) August 31, 2016
Translation: “Montezuma invited Hernán Cortés to lunch and it went really well. That’s what Peña Nieto’s advisors told him. And here we go.”
Shortly after the meeting, Ortuño tweeted a drawing of Montezuma, along with the text: “Peña Nieto explains to his compatriots the result of the meeting with Trump.”
Peña Nieto explica a sus compatriotas los resultados de la reunión con Trump. pic.twitter.com/0MSd40fpk5
— Antonio Ortuño (@AntonioOrtugno) August 31, 2016
Both the #NoEresBienviendoTrump (You are not welcome Trump) and the #SrTrumpConTodoRespeto (Mr Trump, with all due respect) hashtags trended on Twitter during Trump’s visit.
The vanguard of Trump supporters which has been queuing outside the Phoenix convention centre since dawn - 12 hours early - seems pretty pragmatic about any potential “softening” on immigration. If in his speech tonight Trump dilutes his vows to deport all 11m undocumented immigrants, or hints that the wall won’t go up quite at lightning speed, there are unlikely to be cries of betrayal.
Joyce McKinley thinks 75% of Americans back #Trump. Media faking polls. Worries Dems will rig election. pic.twitter.com/phqHjmX3r7
— Rory Carroll (@rorycarroll72) August 31, 2016
“Sometimes when you’re in the public eye things don’t come out right and you have to say it a different way,” said George Buchanan, 71, a retired flooring installer, joining the end of the line, oblivious to 102-degree heat. “I really think he wants to stop the people coming in.”
He called Trump brave for meeting Mexico’s president. “It’s dangerous. You’ve got those Mexican people over there, drug lords. The drug lords don’t want him to build the wall.”
Kristen Esposito, 36, a social worker who used to support Obama, said any shift in tone would not bother her. “He’s just trying to make people understand him better.”
The first in line was Mike Scully, a 71-year-old Canadian who has lived in the United States since he was 10, but is not a citizen. He arrived at 6am, he said. If the GOP nominee softened his rhetoric it would reflect greater “conscientiousness”.
A 61-year-old special education teacher who gave her name only as Barbara held a placard declaring herself a “proud Trumplican”. The candidate would deliver a safer America if given the chance, she said.
“I want the wall built. I want the immigration to stop. But if he changes a bit I don’t think it’s softening so much as him knowing he can’t do it himself. He’ll need Congress. You can’t deport them all at once. It’s impossible.”
Updated
A look inside Los Pinos:
Press has been ushered into the Adolfo López Mateos salon Los Pinos, where Peña Nieto and Trump gave a statement after their 90-minute meeting. The time of the statement is still to be determined, but events in Los Pinos aren’t always known for punctuality.
Interestingly, there is no U.S. flag on the platform, where both men will stand, only the red, white and green of Mexico and a massive replica of the country’s coat of arms: an eagle on a cactus, clutching a snake in its beak.
Trump’s presence in the Mexican capital is causing controversy. Mexico City lawmakers declared the billionaire persona non-grata – rare for a country famed for welcoming guests and graciously opening their homes to strangers.
Social media stirred as well. #SrTrumpConTodoRespeto (Mr. Trump, with total respect) trended, along with the less polite #DonaldTrumpNoEresBienvenido.
We did some math!
Joe Arpaio says the border wall can be constructed by deducting its cost from foreign aid provided to Mexico by the U.S.
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) August 31, 2016
Let's do the math.
Trump has estimated that The Wall will cost $8 billion; others have estimated as high as $25 billion.
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) August 31, 2016
Split the difference: $16.5 billion.
According to https://t.co/7nVNeR8e3r, the U.S. plans to give $134,664,000 in foreign aid to Mexico in 2017.
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) August 31, 2016
That number is far from consistent - some years it’s north of $800m, others it’s lower - but let’s pretend for the sake of ease. Presumably foreign aid to Mexico won’t be increasing under a hypothetical Trump administration, so make it a constant.
To pay for the $16.5 billion wall solely from U.S. foreign aid to Mexico, it would take more than 122 years before the wall was paid for.
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) August 31, 2016
Updated
Trump surrogate Joe Arpaio: US should deduct payment for wall from Mexican foreign aid
Maricopa County sheriff and accused racial profiler Joe Arpaio told CNN this afternoon that it doesn’t make a difference if Donald Trump can’t get Mexico to pay for “The Wall,” the 2,000-mile barrier on the US-Mexico border, because the United States can simply deduct the price of the wall from foreign aid provided to Mexico.
“What difference does it make?” Arpaio said, when asked about Trump’s decision not to discuss payment for the proposed wall with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto during his meeting with the president earlier today. “The wall’s important no matter who pays for it. If Mexico doesn’t pay for it, they do get foreign aid - maybe we can deduct the price from the foreign aid. I’m not trying to be nasty.”
“But how great this is that the president of Mexico invited Donald Trump to Mexico, and he had the courage to go deep into the heart of Mexico to talk to the president. There’s some mutual respect there.”
Trump has estimated that the wall’s construction would cost somewhere between $8 and $10 billion, while experts have nearly tripled that number.
Mexico is set to be paid $134,664,000 in foreign assistance in 2017. At this rate, the wall would be paid for by deductions in foreign aid to the country within 60 to 185 years.
Submitted without comment:
Video: Protests in Mexico City as Donald Trump meets with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto.
Reminder: Although he apparently did not bring up the subject in his meeting with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, one of the few detailed policy positions on Donald Trump’s campaign website involves compelling Mexico to pay for the 2,000-mile border wall Trump has envisioned.
Donald Trump, on “the wall”:
We didn’t discuss who will pay for the wall.
Answering questions from reporters after the two addresses, Donald Trump told journalists that he and Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto did not discuss who would pay for his proposed wall along the 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico.
Trump has said before that Mexico would be forced to pay for the wall’s construction.
“We’re saving that discussion for a later date.”
Donald Trump: Mexico and US 'must take action' to stem illegal immigration
Speaking after a private meeting with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto, Donald Trump told assembled journalists that “we had a very substantitive [sic] exchange of ideas over quote a period of time.”
“Of current trade and immigration policies on the United States. As you know I love the US very much and we want to make sure that the people of the US are very well-protected,” Trump said.
“The US and Mexico share a 2,000-mile border, a half-trillion dollars in trade,” Trump said, as well as “support for democracy, a great love for our people, and the contributions of millions of Mexican-Americans.”
“They are amazing people - amazing people,” Trump said of Mexicans living in the United States, particularly the ones who work for the Trump Organization. “I’m proud to say how many people I employ”
“Mexicans are just beyond reproach,” Trump said. “Spectacular, spectacular and hardworking people.”
“I express that to the United States, and of the United States, that we must take action to stem this tremendous outflow of jobs from our country. It’s happening every day, it’s getting worse and worse and worse and we have to stop it.”
Trump suggested five points to further grow the US relationship with Mexico:
“Number one: ending illegal immigration. Not just between our two countries, but including the illegal immigration and migration from the central and south Americas.”
“This is a humanitarian disaster, the dangerous trecks, the abuse by gangs and cartels, and the extreme physical dangers. And it must be solved - it must be solved quickly. Not fair.”
“Number two: having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial. We rec the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, weapons and drugs,” Trump said. The move is “paramount to both the United States and to Mexico.”
“Number three: Dismantling drug cartels,” Trump said. “This can only be done with cooperation, and intelligence and intelligence sharing.
“Improving Nafta, number four. Nafta is a 22-year-old agreement that must be update to reflect the realities of today,” Trump said, which would make both countries “stronger and keep industry in our hemisphere. We have tremendous competition from China and from all over the world. Keep it in our hemisphere.”
“Number five: Keep manufacturing wealth in our hemisphere. When jobs leave Mexico, the US or Central America and go overseas, it increases poverty.”
“The bond between our two countries is deep and sincere, and both our nations benefit from a close and honest relationship between our two governments.”
“I call you a friend. Thank you.”
Updated
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto continued:
“My priority as the Mexican president, and of my government, is to protect Mexicans wherever they may be. That is my responsibility, and I will continue to comply with it with all my heart.”
“Mexican nations in the United States are honest people, working people - they are people that respect family, they respect the life in the community, and they are respective of the law,” Peña Nieto continued. “As such, Mexicans deserve everybody’s respect.”
“The Mexican government will be totally respectful of the electoral process of the United States. I recognize its decision to sustain and construct a dialogue,” Peña Nieto concluded. “This is the route that allows for a better understanding.”
Enrique Peña Nieto speaks after 'open and constructive discussion' with Donald Trump
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto spoke after his private meeting with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, a discussion that he called “open and constructive” while still acknowledging their distinct differences on issues relating to immigration and free trade.
“We may not agree on certain topics,” Peña Nieto said, according to a live CNN translation of his remarks, but on the issue of trade, “I shared with Mr. Trump my conviction that the free trade of North America has done a lot of good to both the United States and Mexico.”
“With the next administration, we must accelerate these efforts so that the Mexico-US border is more efficient and safe,” Peña Nieto said, pointing out that “undocumented immigration from Mexico to the US had its highest point ten years ago and it has slowed down consistently even to the point of being a net negative at this point.”
“We know that it continues to be a shared challenge, including the increasing number of non-Mexicans who cross our border to go to the US.”
“This is a clearly incomplete vision of the border issues, because it doesn’t count for the illegal goods that come southbound, including weapons and cash. Millions of dollars and weapons crime from the north and strengthen the cartels and criminal organizations” in Mexico, Peña Nieto said. “This flow must be stopped.”
Donald Trump backs out of speaking at black church in Detroit
Donald Trump’s maladroit outreach to African-American voters has hit another stumble, with the Detroit Free Press reporting that the Republican presidential nominee will not speak to the black congregation at Great Faith Ministries International in Detroit this weekend, instead opting to attend the service and hold a one-on-one interview with the congregation’s leader, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson.
The service will not be open to the public or to reporters.
“He’ll be here Saturday,” Jackson said. “He’s going to sit in service and have the experience in the black church, and then he and I will be in this office and do an interview for the Impact Network that will be aired later on. Just like any visitor, there will be fellowship at the service, and he can talk to people one-on-one.”
Jackson told the Detroit Free Press that he is not disappointed that the visit, originally billed as a speech to the church’s members, will not feature an address from the presidential candidate.
“My congregation trusts my judgment,” Jackson said. “They know that I’m not going to put anything or anyone in front of them that I feel is going to be harmful, and I feel we should have an educated conversation about what you’re going to do.”
Indiana governor and vice presidential nominee Mike Pence will join Donald Trump during his speech on immigration in Phoenix tonight:
On the move to Phoenix to introduce @realDonaldTrump as he delivers his immigration address tonight.
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) August 31, 2016
Fun Fact: The reason that there is no US flag on the podium where Donald Trump and Enrique Peña Nieto will speak is because Trump is not officially representing the US government during this visit.
Hence this:
#TrumpInMexico pic.twitter.com/eA7EaCetrB
— David Agren (@el_reportero) August 31, 2016
Livestream: Donald Trump meets with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto
Watch it live here:
Updated
From inside the room:
Not the best imagery for this press conference. In one light, looks like a scaled version of Trump's wall. pic.twitter.com/CK4Zjb1oWK
— Azam Ahmed (@azamsahmed) August 31, 2016
White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Donald Trump’s visit:
It is not uncommon, of course, for leading presidential candidates to make overseas trips. One of the highlights was a trip to Germany, where the president spoke in Berlin to a crowd of about 100,000 Germans who warmly received him and enthusiastically cheered his speech. We’ll see if Mr. Trump is similarly received.
This is going to be a memorable scene.
This is where Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto will speak in just a few minutes. pic.twitter.com/QPBAUgxOkh
— Kate Linthicum (@katelinthicum) August 31, 2016
The media in attendance:
Reporters waiting by press room inside Los Pinos. Photo: @smendoza_news pic.twitter.com/eQ6CCwxRWo
— LuisMiguelEchegaray (@lmechegaray) August 31, 2016
Will Trump speak? Will he not speak? What kind of joint statement could Peña Nieto and Trump make? “We agree to disagree”? “He said sorry”?
Trump campaign manager Conway says "we defer to them" as in Mexican officials on whether to take questions.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 31, 2016
Alt hed: Donald Trump takes orders from Mexican bureaucrats https://t.co/tglxTD5MDz
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) August 31, 2016
Remember Trump's campaign manager firmly said this morning on Fox and Friends that Trump would take questions. pic.twitter.com/wHXWTs6bfR
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) August 31, 2016
Updated
Reforma reports that Trump has arrived at Los Pinos.
#LoÚltimo El candidato republicano Donald Trump arribó a Los Pinos para sostener un encuentro con Peña; después darán un mensaje
— REFORMACOM (@Reforma) August 31, 2016
Via Univision:
Secrecy and tight security for Trump's arrival. Local news crews not allowed for landing. Taking helicopter to the Mexican president's home.
— Enrique Acevedo (@Enrique_Acevedo) August 31, 2016
Protest activity in town appears minimal:
I'm at the anti-trump/EPN rally at the Hemiciclo a Benito Juarez monument. Fewer protesters. No wrestling masks. pic.twitter.com/slhb0ArQpB
— Kirk Semple (@KirkSemple) August 31, 2016
Updated
Where’s Trump?
This is truly bizarre -- to have the GOP nominee in a foreign country this close to an election with ZERO media eyes on him.
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) August 31, 2016
A truly stunning lack of transparency coming from the Trump campaign today on his visit to Mexico.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) August 31, 2016
Don't forget that said nominee's campaign is attacking his opponent for hiding from the press. https://t.co/vd7wASIRpB
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) August 31, 2016
If the Trump campaign is smart, they'll land the plane here at the NC-SC border and just tell Donald it's Mexico. pic.twitter.com/V9Zf4lOs1s
— Michael Freeman (@michaelpfreeman) August 31, 2016
Updated
Trump and Peña Nieto to address media
The Mexican president’s office has invited the press to a joint address by President Enrique Peña Nieto and Donald Trump, writes David Agren for the Guardian:
Accreditations start at 1:30 pm local time, though it was uncertain at what time they would meet the press or if the two men would take questions.
The 90-minute meeting will take place over the usually late Mexican lunch hour at Los Pinos, the president’s residence. Trump is expected to arrive late at Los Pinos – no function of Mexico City’s notoriously thick traffic, rather his leaving California late.
The tardiness provoked some grumbling on social media and was interpreted as a further sign of disrespect. “To continue the humiliation: Trump comes at least an hour late,” tweeted Esteban Illades, editor of the magazine Nexos.
Para continuar la humillación: Trump viene con por lo menos una hora de retraso. https://t.co/AgbswgZveU
— Esteban Illades (@esteban_is) August 31, 2016
Trump’s $10m ad buy announced last week by the campaign may in truth have been about half that big, it appears. CNN has been tracking the trade reports:
Trump is at $4.8 million in television time this week -- not $10 million as originally announced -- as of Wednesday mid-afternoon, per CMAG.
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) August 31, 2016
The Hillary Clinton campaign, not counting outside allies, has spent $75m, about ten times as much as Trump, on TV ads.
Not like this campaign hasn't had issues with the truth before https://t.co/dkwvnvVzCn
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) August 31, 2016
Donald Trump’s second classified security briefing has been scheduled for Friday in New York City, the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs notes.
Maybe this time he’ll have something to tell them.
Who else thinks Trump is going to come home with a big check?
AZ State Treasurer: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump comes home from Mexico today with a check to pay for the wall.” - @FoxNews
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) August 31, 2016
You know, if @realDonaldTrump comes back from Mexico tomorrow with a big check from Mexico to pay for the wall...that's game, set, match.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 31, 2016
An upstaged Clinton takes swipe at Trump
Hillary Clinton took a withering swipe at Donald Trump’s impromptu visit to Mexico on Wednesday, during an address to the American Legion convention that was nonetheless once again upstaged by her opponent’s unpredictable antics, writes Guardian Washington bureau chief Dan Roberts:
“You can’t make up for a year of insults by dropping in on our neighbours for a few hours and flying home again,” insisted the former secretary of state, famed for clocking up hundreds of thousands of diplomatic air miles. “That’s not how it works.”
Instead Clinton stressed her experience in office and expertise on foreign affairs, in a speech that lent heavily on the same patriotic tone she recently adopted at the Democratic convention last month.
“No other country in the world has alliances like ours.. because generations of American troops fought and died to secure those bonds,” said Clinton. “You don’t build a coalition by insulting our friends or acting like a loose cannon. It’s more than a photo op. It takes consistency and reliability.”
But her address in Cincinnati was met with a subdued reaction among the audience of military veterans, who seem more likely to warm to Trump’s scheduled speech here on Thursday.
“It was a fairly muted response,” agreed Ken Dalecki, a 31-year member of the Legion, and delegate from Washington. “She didn’t exactly get a standing ovation.”
Read the full piece here:
Updated
Trump arrives in Mexico – Reforma
AICM = Mexico City international airport. Trump is to meet Peña Nieto at the presidential residence Los Pinos:
#LoÚltimo El candidato republicano a Presidente de EU, Donald Trump, llegó al AICM y se dirigirá a Los Pinos para reunión con Peña
— REFORMACOM (@Reforma) August 31, 2016
Follow our Spanish-language live blog of Trump's visit
My colleague Luis Miguel Echegaray (#ff @lmechegaray) is live-blogging Trump’s trip in Spanish here:
The latest from Luis: a new anti-Trump protest by the Binational Coalition starting at Hemiciclo a Benito Juarez. Send photos!
AHORA: La Coalición Binacional PROTESTA una manifestación contra Trump, en el Hemiciclo a Benito Juárez. Si están ahí, por fa, manden fotos.
— LuisMiguelEchegaray (@lmechegaray) August 31, 2016
I see a pear. A bat. A butterfly. A goat’s head. A skull. Danzig? An homunculus. A sacrum. A kaleidoscope. A scene from Independence Day. The face of god. Mother?
New Clinton video: Donald Trump's Immigration Ink Blot https://t.co/wtv8eocl3D
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 31, 2016
Trump and Peña Nieto plan on meeting for about 90 minutes sometime between 2p and 4p local time (3-5p ET), Reforma reports:
Reunión Peña - Trump durará una hora y media, será entre las 14:00 y 16:00 hrs https://t.co/EsaMZrdbvy pic.twitter.com/FlxmQMpvNd
— REFORMACOM (@Reforma) August 31, 2016
(h/t @lmechegaray)
The Trump and Peña Nieto camps have been communicating for days about what the two leaders will talk about, an unnamed Trump official tells Bloomberg:
“There have been intense, around-the-clock discussions between both parties since last Friday to establish an agenda for discussion and make sure it is a fruitful use of both leaders’s time,” the official said.
That agenda will include economics, jobs, Mexican drug cartels, the flow of “drugs, cash and arms,” and “the positioning of the Western hemisphere toward Asia, including the challenges that a rising China poses to both Mexico and the United States,” the official said. There will also be a discussion about “both countries’ national sovereignty.”
It’s unclear where Trump is at the moment. The two had better get started, that’s a lot to talk about, and Trump has to be on a stage in Phoenix in seven hours.
“It’s easy to see that Peña Nieto and Trump each has something to gain from this particularly timely visit,” Daniel Peña writes in a comment piece:
Trump stands to bolster his ever-loosening grip on his campaign’s trademark issue, immigration, ahead of his big speech in Arizona on Wednesday evening. Peña Nieto, meanwhile, stands to salvage his waning poll numbers – now hovering around 23% according to one recent survey – by looking like he is standing up to Trump. The visit is also a timely distraction from embarrassing reports, which have dominated recent headlines, that he plagiarized his law degree thesis.
This week’s bad press, which includes the sacking of Mexico’s police commissioner following allegations of cartel executions, follows months of looming scandals plaguing his own administration. These include large teacher strikes, allegations of the use of torture on ordinary citizens and most recentlyreports that the Mexican first lady’s home is owned by a potential government contractor. All of the above have sent Mexican confidence in its president plunging.
The embarrassing thing is that we can actually see Peña Nieto’s logic at work in real time as this disaster unfolds. The president thinks that he will see the bad man, appear stern to the bad man, tell everyone that he was indeed stern to the bad man and then his poll numbers will rise. Easy. There’s only one problem with this plan. Trump may well hijack that narrative, frame the meeting to his advantage and then straight-up lie about the details in Arizona with a straight face.
Updated
The Democrats’ efforts to swipe a US senate seat in Wisconsin are looking good, in a new Monmouth University poll of likely voters that has challenger (and former senator) Russ Feingold up 13 points, 54-41, on incumbent Republican Ron Johnson.
Clinton leads Trump in the poll by a much smaller margin, five points, in a four-way race:
Wisconsin (Monmouth)
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) August 31, 2016
Clinton 43%
Trump 38%
Johnson 7%
Stein 3%
Last Republican to win WI was Reagan in 84, but there have been two very near-misses: W lost by 5k votes (0.2%) in '00 and 11k (0.4%) in '04
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) August 31, 2016
Solid result for Trump, through mainly bc Clinton low https://t.co/ZeYyxRdbYF
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) August 31, 2016
“The current presidential election race in Wisconsin is looking a lot like the 2012 contest right now,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Update: and Marquette University has issued a new poll, minutes after the Monmouth poll, with a five-point lead for Clinton among registered voters in Wisconsin but only a three-point lead among likely voters:
Marquette in Wisc.:
— Philip Bump (@pbump) August 31, 2016
Clinton +5 (RV)
Clinton +3 (LV)
Was Clinton +15 w/ LV on 8/7, Clinton +4 w/ LV on 7/10
Farewell, convention bump.
"Huge percentage" of electorate not supporting any of the four candidates, @PollsAndVotes says. #mulawpoll
— MULawPoll (@MULawPoll) August 31, 2016
Updated
Former president Fox stays after Trump on Twitter:
How @realDonaldTrump will explain the "unexplainable"? Now trying to make love to Mexicans, when he promised his followers to throw us out.
— Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 31, 2016
Trump not welcome in Mexico, not by me nor the 130 millions Mexicans.
— Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 31, 2016
Interesting - Vicente Fox basically speculating on CNN that Pena Nieto will slam Trump to try to boost own polls. pic.twitter.com/jGCr90c0db
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) August 31, 2016
Updated
Clinton retells the story of the raid to kill Osama bin Laden. The Navy Seals team wrecked a helicopter going in, she notes. But before they destroyed it, she says, they took care to secure and remove family members – women and children – of bin Laden.
Clinton turns the story against Trump, who has called for targeting family members of suspected terrorists:
That is what honor looks like. That is America at our best. Maybe the soldiers of other nations wouldn’t have bothered. Or maybe they’d have taken revenge on those family members of terrorists. And anyone who doesn’t understand that doesn’t understand what makes America great.
Clinton says Trump trip to Mexico won't repair 'year of insults'
Clinton says that you “can’t make up for a year of insults by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and flying home again.”
Getting countries to work together takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults by dropping in for a few hours, then flying home.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 31, 2016
Updated
Rousseff tossed
It’s a hopping news day for the Americas. Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, has been thrown out of office by the country’s corruption-tainted senate after a gruelling impeachment trial that ends 13 years of Workers’ party rule.
Read our coverage:
I can already hear the conspiracy theorists: this was orchestrated by EPN to distract from Trump visit https://t.co/oTNhzB8L7Y
— Kirk Semple (@KirkSemple) August 31, 2016
Clinton: 'the US is an exceptional nation'
Here’s Clinton. She’s delighted to have the great honor of being there and having the opportunity to address the American Legion.
Where’s Trump? Nobody seems to know. About 40 minutes ago, CNN posted a lower third that said “Trump due to land shortly in Mexico.” Were they making it up?
Clinton says she’s not going to talk a lot of politics. But she has this to say:
Whoever America elects this fall won’t just be our next president, that person will be our next commander in chief. And every person in this room understands how great a responsibility that is.
She acknowledges that some people in the crowd may never have voted for a Democrat before.
I learned at our dinner table that we can disagree without being disagreeable. I want you to know that if I am fortunate enough to win this election, I will be a president... for all Americans... we need to unify this country and go forward into the future with optimism.
Then Clinton pivots to her theme:
The United States is an exceptional nation. I believe we are still Lincoln’s “last, best hope of Earth.”
Clinton says America is exceptional not just because it has the best military and biggest economy but also because values. But the USA is not only exceptional it is indispensable, she says. With great power comes responsibility, she says.
Hillary Clinton is being introduced in Cincinnati, Ohio. Live video stream here:
Guardian Washington bureau chief Dan Roberts is in Cincinnati for Hillary Clinton’s anticipated speech to an American Legion convention, where her gracious hosts are covering for the tardy presidential nominee, Dan writes:
A national convention of the American Legion meeting in a Midwest city like Cincinnati may be among the politest group of people you could gather in one room, so it is with a coy announcement that they have just told us that “one of their guests” is running late.
Nothing so rude as spelling out that this is the former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who was due to speak at noon. A hard-bitten press corps is well used to running on “Clinton time” and know we could be here a while yet. I hope someone breaks it to the expectant ranks of very nice behatted legionaires.
The Trump campaign has released a statement that uses the word “consistent” in reference to Trump’s immigration proposals. It does not shed light on Trump’s Mexico trip, that we can tell. It may be a preview of what we’ll hear tonight in Phoenix. Here it is in full:
Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald J. Trump has been consistent in his calls to end illegal immigration by building a wall on our southern border. He is the only candidate in this race who will stop illegal immigration, secure our border, end sanctuary cities, enforce our existing laws and stop American employers from hiring illegal workers. These reforms will not only put an end to our illegal immigration epidemic — they will promote safe communities and good-paying jobs that will make America great again.”
– Tana Goertz, Senior Advisor to the Trump-Pence Campaign
Who’s senior adviser Tana Goertz? The runner-up of Season 3 of The Apprentice who helped run Trump’s Iowa primary campaign. Read more about Goertz on her web site, heytana.com. Or just check out her “sizzle reel”.
Updated
Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Democratic running mate is undertaking some Hispanic outreach.
.@timkaine helps with lunch service at the Hispanic Center of Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem, PA pic.twitter.com/FA1Y6Zcnhi
— Erica R. Brown (@EricaRBrown) August 31, 2016
Trump’s Mexico play seems smart to Bill Kristol:
Seems a win-win. Courageously going into belly of beast, or looks presidential by having a presidential meeting. https://t.co/jXFx8Mw2l8
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 31, 2016
Which, by the Kristol Law, which states that Bill Kristol is (almost) always wrong, means that Trump’s Mexico play is not smart:
I was worried Trump's Mexico gambit might work, but now I'm confident it will fail. https://t.co/WY3qMOBsEg
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) August 31, 2016
Trump ditches media for Mexico trip
The press pool traveling with Donald Trump as he campaigns for the presidency was not informed in advance of his Mexico trip and no effort has been made to coordinate travel of the media with the candidate, despite Trump campaign promises that the media will have a window on Trump’s trip. The press pool was last seen in Phoenix, Arizona, where Trump is to speak tonight.
Two weeks ago, Trump similarly ditched his media contingent for his trip to a flood zone in Louisiana.
Why does it matter whether Trump coordinates with the media? Can’t the media get there on its own? The answer is yes... but. David Agren is reporting on Trump for the Guardian in Mexico today (he was already there).
But by not giving reporters a basic idea with decent lead time of where the candidate will be and what he is up to, Trump effectively crimps coverage of his activities – possibly allowing any campaign version to hold sway. The fewer independent eyes, the more the story of Trump’s trip can be whatever he wants it to be.
And without being pre-cleared, as the press pool is, into the ring of security the secret service maintains around the candidate, journalists won’t be able to present as full a picture of the trip, won’t likely be in position to confirm or disconfirm all of what the campaign might say about the trip, and may not be in position to capture any unplanned aspects of the trip.
Trump is setting a distressing precedent today. He's traveling to Mexico. His traveling press has not been invited along. We're in Phoenix.
— Jill Colvin (@colvinj) August 31, 2016
Trump’s campaign manager has said that the media will have access to Trump in Mexico. We’ll believe it when we see it. Which, it seems, we may not.
Reports Trump not taking media w/him. But, Kellyanne Conway told Fox that Trump and Pena Nieto will take questions. pic.twitter.com/J5ikJdNfUg
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) August 31, 2016
It's absolutely maddening that traveling press who cover Trump constantly are being left behind in Phoenix while he's in Mexico.
— David Martosko (@dmartosko) August 31, 2016
We had no opportunity to travel, the campaign press charter plane is staying put, and news of a Q&A came too late for a commercial flight.
— David Martosko (@dmartosko) August 31, 2016
Updated
Obama to Lake Tahoe to speak on climate change
The president has left the White House and is headed for Lake Tahoe, Nevada, to speak at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit about his commitment to protecting the environment and addressing climate change.
Clinton to trumpet American exceptionalism
Hillary Clinton plans to stress her support for “American exceptionalism” during a speech in the battleground state of Ohio, while arguing that Donald Trump has rejected the concept, the AP reports:
Clinton’s midday address at the American Legion’s annual convention in Cincinnati Wednesday comes as Trump plans a last-minute trip to Mexico in advance of a long-awaited speech on immigration. A Clinton campaign official said the Democratic nominee plans to use her first public event in days to portray her Republican opponent as a questionable leader who would “walk away from our allies, undermine our values, insult our military — and has explicitly rejected the idea of American exceptionalism.”
In contrast, the official said Clinton “will make the case” for it and call for maintaining America’s military and diplomatic leadership in the world.”
American exceptionalism refers to the country’s standing and leadership in the world. Donald Trump has pledged to “Make America Great Again” and restore the country to a time when, in his view, the U.S. was more prosperous and full of opportunity. Clinton says Trump would undermine America’s greatness, and she would maintain it.
Hillary Clinton plans to stress her support for “American exceptionalism” during a speech in the battleground state of Ohio, while arguing that Donald Trump has rejected the concept.
Read further coverage here.
What to expect from Trump's immigration speech
Where Trump will come down on immigration in his speech tonight in Phoenix is anybody’s guess, including the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs’ educated one, here:
At almost every rally, Trump pledges that he will “build a wall and make Mexico pay for it”, but he has rarely gone into more detail.
But, facing a general election where he has major deficits in the polls and is reviled by Latino voters, the Republican nominee has begun what he called a rhetorical “softening” in recent weeks, raising questions about whether he was ever sincere in his hardline stance.
In the past week and a half, Trump seemingly endorsed a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, only to reverse himself in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. The back and forth prompted conservative talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh to admit, “I never took him seriously” on immigration.
Hillary Clinton is drawing a contrast with Trump on immigration on Twitter. (And on her web site, at length.) The task is complicated by the not-knowing about where Trump stands. Ben above mentions that Trump last week seems to have supported some kind of a path to legal status for undocumented migrants.
But it’s safe to say that Trump does not support a path to actual US citizenship. Clinton supports a “path to full and equal citizenship.”
Where Trump will come down on immigration in his speech tonight in Phoenix is anybody’s guess, including the Guardian’s Ben Jacob’s educated one, here:
At almost every rally, Trump pledges that he will “build a wall and make Mexico pay for it”, but he has rarely gone into more detail.
But, facing a general election where he has major deficits in the polls and is reviled by Latino voters, the Republican nominee has begun what he called a rhetorical “softening” in recent weeks, raising questions about whether he was ever sincere in his hardline stance.
In the past week and a half, Trump seemingly endorsed a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, only to reverse himself in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. The back and forth prompted conservative talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh to admit, “I never took him seriously” on immigration.
Hillary Clinton is drawing a contrast with Trump on immigration on Twitter. (And on her web site, at length.) The task is complicated by the not-knowing about where Trump stands. Ben above mentions that Trump last week seems to have supported some kind of a path to legal status for undocumented migrants.
But it’s safe to say that Trump does not support a path to actual US citizenship. Clinton supports a “path to full and equal citizenship.”
RT this if you agree. pic.twitter.com/32mjc23tME
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 31, 2016
Updated
Mexico to Trump: we reject your hate speech
Many Mexicans are voicing negative opinions about Trump’s trip today, the AP reports:
Former first lady Margarita Zavala, herself a potential presidential candidate, aimed a tweet at Trump, saying: “Even though you may have been invited, we want you to know you’re not welcome. We Mexicans have dignity, and we reject your hate speech.”
At least two protests were already being planned for downtown Mexico City and Pena Nieto’s office would not say exactly where or when the meeting would be held, possibly in a bid to avoid protests outside the meeting site.
Leading historian Enrique Krauze also addressed a tweet to Trump in English: “Listen ... We Mexicans expect nothing less than an apology for calling us ‘criminals and rapists.’”
He compared Pena Nieto’s meeting to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signing of a 1938 peace pact with Germany. “Tyrants are to be confronted, not pacified,” Krauze told the Televisa TV network.
Even Pena Nieto has made such such comparisons. Asked about Trump in March, Pena Nieto complained to the Excelsior newspaper about “these strident expressions that seek to propose very simple solutions.” He said that sort of language has led to “very fateful scenes in the history of humanity.”
“That’s the way Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived,” Pena Nieto said.
Here’s one from the vault: writing for the Guardian in April, former Mexican president Vicente Fox thanked Donald Trump “for his racist and ignorant ideas.”
“Thanks to them,” Fox wrote, “Mexico is in the global spotlight; every day, more and more people inside and outside the United States are realizing the decent way Mexicans live their lives.”
Here’s the top of Fox’s comment piece, which may be read in full by clicking through below:
Today, I want to express my strong concern about the latest proposals made by the Republican candidate Donald Trump, in his campaign for president of the United States. He has said that he will build a wall between Mexico and the United States, and now that he will force Mexico to pay for that wall by cutting off remittances. He has also said he will open a trade war with Mexico and China; he has offended women, Muslims, Latinos and his own American people.
To a Mexican and citizen of the world, these statements are disgraceful and highly offensive. Trump has said Mexicans are the problem, calling us rapists and criminals. He thinks building the “Trump Wall” will right every wrong in the United States. Indeed, he’s built a huge mental wall around himself already, which doesn’t allow him to see the greatness of our people.
Trump on Twitter this morning is after Fox, who in February said, “I’m not going to pay for that fucking wall.”
Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the "f bomb."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016
Fox tweeted last night:
No hay vuelta atrás, Trump, tus ofensas hacia los mexicanos, musulmanes y más, te han llevado al hoyo donde estás hoy ¡Adiós, Trump!
— Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 31, 2016
There is no turning back, Trump, your offenses towards Mexicans, Muslims and more, have led you to the pit where you are today goodbye, Trump!
Updated
Clinton favorability sinks to Trump-like levels in new poll
Hillary Clinton’s favorability rating among registered voters has sunk to Trump-like levels, according to new polling by ABC News and the Washington Post.
Notably, Clinton appears to be losing ground with women, Hispanics and liberals – groups that are supposed to be core supporters.
38% of registered voters in the poll voiced a favorable impression of Clinton, versus 59% who voiced an unfavorable impression. That’s an overall favorability rating of minus 21.
“Clinton’s image has declined significantly from just a month ago,” the poll finds:
- Her favorable rating among women dropped from 54 percent to just 45 percent.
- Among Hispanics, it went from 71 percent to 55 percent.
- Among liberals, it went from 76 percent to 63 percent.
As for Trump:
37% of registered voters in the poll voiced a favorable impression of Trump, versus 60% who voiced an unfavorable impression. That’s an overall favorability rating of minus 23.
The poll was conducted by telephone over 24-28 August, 2016, among a random national sample of 1,020 adults, including users of both conventional and cellular phones.
Clinton: 'what matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico'
Here’s a statement put out by the Clinton campaign last night about Trump’s trip to Mexico. It highlights Trump’s denigrations of Mexico and asserts, pace the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs, that “what ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico.”
Clinton campaign responds to Trump's trip to Mexico pic.twitter.com/9dEaAeAit7
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) August 31, 2016
Update: the Clinton campaign has rounded up dozens of Trump’s most offensive / telling tweets about Mexico. Read them here. Exempli gratia:
When will the U.S. stop sending $'s to our enemies, i.e. Mexico and others.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2014
I love the Mexican people, but Mexico is not our friend. They're killing us at the border and they're killing us on jobs and trade. FIGHT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2015
The border is wide open for cartels & terrorists. Secure our border now. Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2015
Because of Rodolfo Rosas Moya, who owes me lots of money, Mexico will never again host the Miss Universe Pageant.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 5, 2015
Updated
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. Donald Trump is traveling to Mexico today in a suddenly planned excursion in advance of what his campaign has billed as a major speech tonight on immigration policy in Phoenix, Arizona.
Trump and his entourage, which reportedly includes Senator Jeff Sessions and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, are to meet in Mexico City with President Enrique Peña Nieto, who invited Trump and has confirmed the meeting.
The unpopular meet. 66% of Mexicans have a negative opinion of @epn (Reforma) and 89% of Latinos have a negative opinion of Trump (Wapo)
— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) August 31, 2016
“The reaction on social media so far is one of shock and outrage,” writes David Agren in Villahermosa, Mexico, for the Guardian. “For the chattering classes, this is folly and a high-stakes game they don’t think the president can win.”
An example of the rage in Mexico: "The stupidest thing in the history of the Mexican presidency..." https://t.co/jFxUI0nqod
— Elisabeth Malkin (@ElisabethMalkin) August 31, 2016
Mexican intellectual says either Trump apologizes or Mexico prez loses what little approval rating he has left https://t.co/ahmtE8tPJE
— David Luhnow (@davidluhnow) August 31, 2016
The White House has declined to comment on the excursion.
No WH comment on @realDonaldTrump meeting today with Mexican Pres. “As you know, we don't weigh in on political matters.” They do sometimes.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 31, 2016
On the other hand this person, a former one-term Republican congressman and current radio host, is not kidding:
You know, if @realDonaldTrump comes back from Mexico tomorrow with a big check from Mexico to pay for the wall...that's game, set, match.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 31, 2016
We will be following Trump’s international adventure closely. Hillary Clinton’s campaign last night said she had also received an invitation to meet from Peña Nieto, whom she last met in 2014, and she looks forward to speaking with the Mexican president. Trump’s camp said she was following Trump’s lead “yet again”, in apparent reference to Trump’s visit to flood zones in Louisiana, which Clinton has yet to visit.
Clinton Camp following the Leader yet again... https://t.co/SRZMfZdnEP
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) August 31, 2016
In other news, Clinton is scheduled to appear today in Cincinnati, Ohio, to speak to a national convention of the American Legion, the veterans’ organization. Dan Roberts will be there.
Hillary and Bill Clinton attended a Hamptons fundraiser last night featuring the talents of Sir Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi and Jimmy Buffett. At one point, reports said, Clinton danced with McCartney as Buffett sang Cheeseburger in Paradise. Here’s bad footage of the Clintons swaying as McCartney and Bon Jovi sing Hey Jude:
Republican senators John McCain and Marco Rubio both easily won primary contests in their respective home states of Arizona and Florida last night. In November, Rubio will face Representative Patrick Murphy, who defeated an unpopular House colleague, Alan Grayson, in the Democratic primary.
If this is an anti status quo year you wouldn't know it by all the congressional incumbents easily winning primaries
— amy walter (@amyewalter) August 31, 2016
Read further:
Thanks for reading and please join us in the comments.
Updated
