Hard To Understand

From its announcement less than 24 hours before the event, U.S. Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump’s surprise meeting with President Enrique Peña Nieto caused undeniable public agitation and almost unanimous alarm in the country. Such reactions certainly have to do with the consistent aggression against Mexico and Mexicans with which Trump has sought to attract reactionary, racist and xenophobic voters who, unfortunately, are numerous in his country. Attacks like these have been converted almost into a symbol of the Republican candidate’s crude, antagonistic and provocative spirit and have turned him into an unacceptable figure, certainly in Mexico but also among many U.S. citizens and in the eyes of the world.

But beyond Trump’s unacceptable positions, the invitation to the two U.S. presidential hopefuls – taken up immediately by the Republican but to which Democrat Hillary Clinton has not yet responded – is an unusual gesture that is hard to understand. It puts Mexico and its government in the middle of the U.S. election battle and makes it an issue in the presidential race north of the Rio Grande.

Standing with his inconvenient guest at their joint appearance, Peña Nieto took an undeniably firm stand in defense of Mexicans living in the United States and stressed the importance of a bilateral relationship based on dialogue and not on confrontation. But the negative implications of the meeting far outweigh the benefits.

In fact, the consequences of this risky gamble were evident since before the meeting between Peña Nieto and Trump was organized: Trump was able to capitalize on the trip – since he set up the meeting – in order to soften the effects of his anti-Mexican tirades without, in the process, alienating the supporters that he attracted by taking that stand. Because, after all, Trump has never done business in Mexico, he has never budged an inch on his delusional idea of building a wall along the entire border, and there has never been the slightest hint of an apology for all the insults spewed out on Mexico and its leaders over the past year.

In contrast, the incursion of the White House into the contest was a sign to our country’s president of a new wave of critics on the domestic side and the real danger that his meeting with the Republican candidate may be seen by U.S. Democrats as an endorsement from outside the country at a time when Trump is falling in the polls. That perception could have extremely negative consequences for the presidency and for the country as a whole if Clinton should decide not to accept the invitation and especially if she wins the election in November. In short, the Mexican president has paid a very high price for this meeting and he has created a space in which diplomatic complications could develop with our neighbor to the north, which under the present circumstances is the last thing our country and its government needs.