As Trump makes a last-minute trip to meet with Mexico’s president, it’s important to note his past disrespect for Mexico and its people–reminders of his never-ending unpresidential comments.
Trump began his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants “rapists.” When faced with backlash for his countless anti-Latino comments, he tweeted a tone-deaf, offensive picture of himself eating a taco bowl. Trump has treated Mexico, one of America’s allies, as an enemy, and has even said he wants “nothing to do with Mexico.”
This meeting could be quite uncomfortable. Beyond these offensive comments, Trump probably needs to ask about his plan for the Mexican government to pay for the wall he wants to build. We’ll see how that goes.
Donald Trump’s Statements about Mexico and its People
Donald Trump: “Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 5/5/16]
Donald Trump: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. […] They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” “Thank you. It’s true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” [Donald Trump, Presidential Announcement speech, 6/16/15]
Donald Trump: “Everything’s coming across the border. The illegals, the cars, the whole thing. It’s like a big mess, blegh. It’s like vomit.” “Everything’s coming across the border. The illegals, the cars, the whole thing. It’s like a big mess, blegh. It’s like vomit.” [Donald Trump remarks to Texas Patriots PAC, 4/30/15]
Donald Trump: “People are coming through the border that are really bad hombres and bad dudes and these are people that Mexico doesn’t want.” “You look at beautiful Kate [Steinle] and what’s going on like in San Francisco and Jamiel [Shaw] and so many people being killed and hurt badly. And people are coming through the border that are really bad hombres and bad dudes and these are people that Mexico doesn’t want and other countries where they come from, they don’t want them.” [Daily Ledger, 8/5/15]
Donald Trump said Mexico was sending criminals to the US in the same way Fidel Castro “opened up his prisons and sent his prisoners to the United States.” “Trump also tried to make a historical comparison, noting, ‘[Former Cuban leader Fidel] Castro, many years ago, opened up his prisons and sent his prisoners to the United States,’ which the candidate called a disaster for the America, before adding, ‘In a much more sophisticated manner, Mexico is [now] doing the same thing.’” [New York Magazine, 6/12/15]
Donald Trump on Mexican immigration: “They send the bad ones over because they don’t want to pay for them.” “Our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid, and the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning, and they send the bad ones over because they don’t want to pay for them, they don’t want to take care of them. Why should they, when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for them? And that’s what’s happening, whether you like it or not.” [Donald Trump, Fox News Presidential Debate, Cleveland, OH, 8/6/15]
Donald Trump: “You have illegal immigrants pouring through the country. They’re incarcerated, many of them are in jails. You have hundreds of thousands of people going to state and federal penitentiaries.” “DONALD TRUMP: No, I don’t apologize. Everybody knows what’s going on. You have illegal immigrants pouring through the country. They’re incarcerated, many of them are in jails. You have hundreds of thousands of people going to state and federal penitentiaries. That just came out in Homeland Security Report. You just have to take a look at them. The crime is rampant all over the place. You have the illegals just literally pouring — and not from Mexico only, they’re coming from all over the world. You have them all over South America, but they’re coming from the Middle East.” [Real Clear Politics, 7/1/15]
Donald Trump on the PGA tour happening in Mexico: “I hope they have kidnapping insurance.” TRUMP: “And I’m going to bring jobs back from Mexico and China and all these places. I mean, I just heard that the PGA tour is taking their tournament out of Miami and moving it to Mexico, as an example.” HANNITY: “Good grief.” TRUMP: “They’re taking it — it’s at Doral. It’s at — they use one of my places. They’re moving their tournament. It’s the Cadillac World Golf Championship. And Cadillac’s been a great sponsor, but they’re moving it to Mexico. They’re moving it to Mexico City, which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance. But they’re moving it to Mexico City.” [Fox News, 5/31/16]
Donald Trump, pointing to a plane flying above his campaign event: “That could be a Mexican plane up there — they’re getting ready to attack.” [Donald Trump, Manchester, NH, 6/30/16]
Donald Trump said that the border was “like an open sieve” that was allowing in “people that are sick and with contagious diseases, like tuberculosis.” VAN SUSTEREN: “Listen, I want to ask you about some things about President Obama’s request, $3.7 billion for the border. What do you think about that?” TRUMP: “I think the whole thing is ridiculous. It’s like an open sieve. People are just pouring in, all sorts of people. People that are sick and with contagious diseases, like tuberculosis, which is a real disaster. And what we are doing with this country is unthinkable. So, they are going there, and it’s a very — it’s a big humanitarian problem. There is no question about it. But they are all being dropped there because we are an open fence. We are an open door. We should just automatically say we have an open-door policy. Because, what’s going on is absolutely insane for this country. And, we owe, as you know, $17 trillion, Greta, $17 trillion. We can’t afford this. And they are only there because of the fact that we are saying, welcome, come in, and it’s not a good situation.” [Fox News On the Record, 7/11/14]
Donald Trump: “The Mexicans are the new China.” O’REILLY: “OK. I actually laughed when you said you’re going to build this giant wall from San Diego to Brownsville and the Mexicans are going to pay for it. The Mexicans aren’t going to pay for the wall.” TRUMP: “Let me tell you. The Mexicans are the new China. What they are doing to this country –” [Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor, 6/16/15]
Donald Trump: “Don’t do business with Mexico!” “I have a lawsuit in Mexico’s corrupt court system that I won but so far can’t collect. Don’t do business with Mexico!” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 2/24/15]
Donald Trump: “The Mexican legal system is corrupt, as is much of Mexico.” “The Mexican legal system is corrupt, as is much of Mexico. Pay me the money that is owed me now – and stop sending criminals over our border.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 2/24/15]
Donald Trump: “Mexico’s totally corrupt gov’t looks horrible with El Chapo’s escape—totally corrupt. U.S. paid them $3 billion.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 7/13/15]
Donald Trump: “Mexico is not our friend.” “They will pay for the wall. And the wall will go up and Mexico will start behaving. Mexico is not our friend.” [Fox News, 6/16/15]
Donald Trump: “Rodolfo Rosas Moya and his pals in Mexico owe me a lot of money. Disgusting & slow Mexico court system. Mexico is not a U.S. friend.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 4/16/15]
Donald Trump: “They [Mexico] treat us like garbage at the border. They laugh at us.” “Two weeks ago, front page of the Wall Street Journal, big story on Mexico taking a tremendous — a billion-dollar car plant out of Tennessee. It was going to go to Tennessee, big German company. Was going to go to Tennessee, was all set. And then out of the blue, Mexico swiped it. They took it. They gave them all sorts of things. And now it’s being built in Mexico. More people employed. And then they treat us like garbage at the border. They laugh at us. They laugh at us.” [Trump remarks, FITN Republican Leadership Summit, 4/18/15]
Donald Trump appeared to indicate he could get congressional approval for “destroying Mexico.” TRUMP: They charge us tariffs. We don’t charge them because we’re stupid. They charge us. And the largest bank in the world is right under this floor. O’REILLY: Now you realize Congress is going to have to ok all this. They’re going to have to ok you destroying Mexico.They’re going to have to ok you for the tariff on China. TRUMP: Bill. O’REILLY: And you really think you’re going to get it through? TRUMP: Absolutely. I’ve been dealing with politicians all my life.” [Fox News, 6/17/15]
Donald Trump: “I want nothing to do with Mexico other than to build an impenetrable WALL.” “Mexico’s court system corrupt. I want nothing to do with Mexico other than to build an impenetrable WALL and stop them from ripping off U.S.” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 3/5/15]
Donald Trump: “Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid.” “The border is wide open for cartels & terrorists. Secure our border now. Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid!” [Donald Trump, Twitter, 3/30/15]
Donald Trump said his border wall with Mexico would help address the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire, because “you know where that stuff comes from.” “‘It’s amazing how many people bring that up,’ Trump answered. ‘I bet half the people have their hands up about heroin.’ Trump responded that he wants to take care of addicts using locally based clinics, and stop the source of the drug by walling off the border. ‘The problem of heroin in New Hampshire is unbelievable, it’s like an unbelievable problem that you have,’ Trump said. ‘And you know where that stuff comes from.’” [CBS, 11/11/15]
Donald Trump: “We have the anchor babies. I was right about the anchor babies. A woman’s pregnant, she steps across the border, she has a baby. Congratulations.” TRUMP: “We have the anchor babies. I was right about the anchor babies. A woman’s pregnant, she steps across the border, she has a baby. Congratulations. We take care of that baby for ninety years, or for however long the baby lives.” [Donald Trump, Town Hall, Nashua, NH, 1/29/16]
Donald Trump: “The illegals coming in are causing tremendous problems. In terms of crime, in terms of murder, in terms of rape.” TRUMP: “The illegals coming in are causing tremendous problems. In terms of crime, in terms of murder, in terms of rape, in terms of…” COOPER: I’m going to give you two studies. Northwestern University, cited by ‘The Washington Post,’ says essentially no correlation between illegal immigration and violent crime. Pew Research Center, using figures from the University of Massachusetts, found, quote, ‘the crime rate among first-generation immigrants, those who came to this country from somewhere else, significantly lower than the overall crime rate and that of the second generation.’” TRUMP: “If somebody is an illegal immigrant, they shouldn’t be here at all. There shouldn’t be any crime. They’re not supposed to be in our country. They’re not supposed to be — and I’m not just talking Mexico. They’re coming — excuse me, they’re coming from all over the world. I’m not just talking about Mexico.” [CNN, 7/8/15]