Only Nixon could go to China, right? Except Nixon was just a shiftless, anti-Semitic crook. Donald Trump is … Donald Trump. We should all be extremely glad that Mexico does not have the bomb.
As Trump prepares for his meeting today with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico City, here’s a quick review of Trump’s previous statements about Mexico, its people and its government.
There’s the statement that launched Trump's campaign.
“When Mexico sends their people … 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.”
And if you had any doubt that Trump meant the Mexican government was intentionally shipping criminals to the United States, Trump cleared up that confusion on several occassions.
“What can be simpler or more accurately stated? The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States. They are, in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc.”
And if that’s that's still not clear enough.
In the interview, Trump left no doubt that he believes the Mexican government is taking an active role in pushing migrants into the United States: He used the word "forcing" four times to describe what the government was doing.
But then, even when they’re not engaged in criminal export, Trump doesn’t think much of the Mexican legal system. Or 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," said Trump, who at the time was engaged in litigation in the country over a resort in Baja.
That resort in Baja? It was never built. Trump took the life savings of American investors looking for vacation or retirement homes, but never built a thing. Maybe that’s why he thinks Mexico is so lawless.
Then there was the time Trump declared that the Mexican government turned the Pope against him.
This is one of those instances in which it’s amazing what Trump has collected and kept on his own web site.
The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story - he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. …
They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.
But Pope Pawn is going to be sorry!
If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened.
Okay, that’s not directly Mexico-related, but it’s an amazing bit of creative hating.
How about the time Trump responded to criticism by promising to add ten feet to his wall?
"The wall just got 10 feet taller, believe me," Trump said at tonight's Republican debate in Houston. "It just got 10 feet taller."
How is Trump going to force Mexico to build the wall? He’s been pretty clear about this: hurting Mexican families.
Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump has said he would stop cash sent home by Mexicans based in the US, until the country pays for a border wall.
The prospect of losing a vital source of income would force Mexico into a "one-time payment" of $5-10bn, says Mr Trump.
Nothing makes you call up your local politician and tell him to send money to an American billionaire like seeing your kids go hungry.
This is far from an exhaustive list of all the colorful and charming things Donald Trump has said abut our neighbor to the south, and it doesn’t even touch on how Trump has talked about people whose families came from Mexico a generation or two back.
But Trump’s visit doesn’t have to all be negative. While he’s down there, he could visit the Mexican workers that make Donald Trump brand shirts. Get a few nice and warm off the line. And he should let the cameras come with him, so everyone can see where and how Trump’s products are made.
And a quick note to Mexico: Should you determine that Donald Trump has done something illegal. Maybe on that Baja deal? We will not negotiate for Donald Trump’s return.
Though we may build a wall.