New York Daily News

Cranky calls by Don revealed

- BY JASON SILVERSTEI­N and LEONARD GREENE

PRESIDENT TRUMP bragged about his election win, called New Hampshire a “drug-infested den” and asked for political cover on his plan to build a Mexican border wall, according to transcript­s of phone calls with foreign leaders.

The man behind “The Art of the Deal” struggled in his bid to make Mexico pay for the border wall, and clashed so sharply with the leader of Australia that he said talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a more pleasant experience.

“I have had it,” Trump said after a Jan. 28 spat with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over refugees. “I have been making these calls all day and this is the most unpleasant call all day. Putin was a pleasant call. This is ridiculous.”

Transcript­s of the conversati­ons, published Thursday by The Washington Post, showed a new President stretching his foreign policy legs, and quickly getting frustrated with the details of diplomacy. In the Jan. 27. call — just a week after Trump’s inaugurati­on — Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto made it clear that Mexico “cannot pay for that wall,” no matter what Trump said. “But you cannot say that to the press,” Trump replied. “The press is going to go with that and I cannot live with that. You cannot say that to the press because I cannot negotiate under those circumstan­ces.” Trump offered a deal to Peña Nieto: He won’t bring up the wall with the media, but when it comes up, he’ll just stall. “I will say, ‘Let us see how it is going — let us see how it is working out with Mexico,’ ” Trump said. The Mexican leader (photo left) moved on but didn’t take Trump’s offer. “Let us for now stop talking about the wall,” Peña Nieto said. “Let us look for a creative way to solve this issue, for this to serve both your government, my government,

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