People he once called crooks , rapists
President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Lopez Obrador seemingly is banking that Trump will win a second term.
The meeting was billed as a celebration of economic ties and the new North American trade agreement, which took effect July 1.
Critics in Mexico worry that Lopez Obrador is being used as a political pawn to bolster the Trump campaign.
Lopez Obrador arrived at the White House after morning stops at the Lincoln Memorial and a statue of Benito Juarez, a former Mexican president and national hero. Culminating the visit was a planned White House dinner with about 20 U.S. and Mexican business leaders, including Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the world.
Trump and Lopez Obrador discussed the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal. It replaced the North American Free
Trade Agreement, which was blamed for prompting U.S. companies to shift manufacturing to Mexico.
The Democratic Party chairman, Tom Perez, recalled Trump’s insults of Mexicans and said the president was now trying to take credit for a trade deal that Democrats in Congress helped make possible.
“Latino communities, immigrants and the American people deserve a president with the empathy and experience to lead us forward, not a demagogue who cheers on bigotry from the White House,” Perez said, urging voters to elect Biden.
Canada’s prime minister and Trump rival, Justin Trudeau, decided not to come to Washington celebrate the agreement, citing scheduling conflicts.
With the U.S. looking to reduce its supply chain in China, Mexico is well-positioned to step into the void, administration officials told reporters on a call outlining the visit.