Trump claps back after Mexican president hits US with demands: "I would not give them ten cents"
Palm Beach, Florida - Presidential candidate Donald Trump has weighed in after the president of Mexico issued a list of demands to the United States regarding immigration.
On Saturday, Trump did an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who asked the former president for his thoughts about Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently demanding the US provide millions in aid to poor South American countries.
"He said he wants $10 billion essentially just to talk, $10 billion to talk, and that's come out since, and no, that wouldn't happen with me, with the wall," Trump said.
After Kilmeade asked what changed with Obrador's relationship with the US, Trump responded, "It's very simple: Lack of respect for the president.
"They would never say that to me," he added. "I would not give them ten cents."
Prior to his 2016 presidential administration, Trump campaigned on the promise that he would build a wall at the southern border to reduce crossings by undocumented migrants and force Mexico to pay for it.
While president, Trump's wall, which Obrador argued "doesn't work," was never completed, and his relationship with Mexico's president remained rocky throughout, as they disagreed on a number of policies.
While Trump and other right-wing critics are arguing that Obrador's demands go too far, the president has explained that his requests have deeper diplomatic implications.
President Obrador explains his demands from the US
Obrador made the request during a recent interview with 60 Minutes, where he also requested that President Joe Biden end an embargo on Cuba, implement sanctions against Venezuela, and grant citizenship to law-abiding Mexicans already living in the US.
The president revealed that after Biden asked for his assistance, he worked with countries near Mexico's southern border to keep their citizens from crossing through Mexico to get to the US.
His effort resulted in a 50% decrease in US border crossings in the month of January.
Obrador explained that in order for him to continue his effort, he would need to help those countries that he is working with, hence his list of requests.
If his requests are not met, he said, "the flow of migrants will continue."
When asked about criticism that his demands are "diplomatic blackmail," Obrador explained, "We have to say things as they are, and I always say what I feel. I always say what I think."
Cover photo: Collage: Rodrigo Oropeza & ERIC BARADAT / AFP