Trump threatens Mexico on wall

Washington, Jan. 26: US President Donald Trump on Thursday told Mexico’s President to cancel an upcoming visit to Washington if he is unwilling to foot the bill for a border wall.

Escalating a crossborder war of words, Trump took to Twitter to publicly upbraid Enrique Pena Nieto.

“If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting.”

On Wednesday, the mercurial US leader ordered officials to begin to “plan, design and construct a physical wall” along the 3,200-km US-Mexico border.

Stemming immigration was a central plank of Mr Trump’s election campaign, although there are still serious doubts about how the project will be funded.

Mr Trump’s decision put Mr Pena Nieto under fierce domestic pressure to hit back, and hit back he did in a video message to the nation late Wednesday.

Mr Trump’s order had put Pena Nieto under fierce domestic pressure to hit back, and hit back the Mexican leader did in a video message to the nation late Wednesday.

“I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting us,” Pena Nieto said.

“I have said it time and again: Mexico will not pay for any wall,” he added. — AFP