Return to Transcripts main page
Wolf
Donald Trump Speaks on Mexico and the U.S. Aired 1-1:30p ET
Aired January 26, 2017 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer. We begin with breaking news this hour. Once again, we want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world.
Any minute now, President Trump will step in front of that podium to speak. This as a world leader cancels plans to meet with him here in Washington.
Look at these live pictures coming in from the annual Republican congressional retreat underway right now in Philadelphia. We're going to bring you the president's speech live as soon as it begins. That should be momentarily.
In the meantime, the war over the wall with Mexico intensifies. Just a little while ago, the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, canceled plans to meet with President Trump here in Washington next Tuesday.
His announcement followed this tweet from the U.S. president earlier this morning. The president tweeted, quote, "The U.S. has a $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost. If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting."
Let's bring in our reporters who are covering all of this from Philadelphia. Jim Acosta is our Senior White House Correspondent. He's on the scene at that retreat in Mexico City. CNN's Leyla Santiago is joining us.
Here in Washington, Nia-Malika Henderson, our CNN National Political Reporter; Dana Bash, our Chief Political Correspondent; Gloria Borger is here, our Chief Political Analyst; Jim Sciutto, our Chief National Security Correspondent.
Jim Acosta, you're there in Philadelphia. Momentarily, we'll hear from the president of the United States. Any idea how the president will respond to the breaking news that Mexico's president has decided to cancel the meeting here in Washington with President Trump next Tuesday?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, no word yet from White House officials on whether or not President Trump will respond to the Mexican president, in these remarks here in Philadelphia which are going to be happening shortly.
But the president is finding out that walls do come with consequences. And it was a stunning development just as President Trump was stepping off of his first ride as commander in chief on Air Force One.
He essentially landed in his first diplomatic controversy. This one with Mexico after the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, tweeted just as the president was arriving in Philadelphia, that he is not going to be attending that meeting at the White House next week with President Trump.
That came after a video that he posted on Twitter last night saying that Mexico will not pay for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
And as you mentioned, Wolf, earlier this morning, President Trump was tweeting that, well, if Mexico is not going to pay for that wall, then we might as well not have this meeting.
And so, it sounds like the Mexican president did call that bluff. But this is a very interesting development in this relationship which, as you know, Wolf, between the U.S. and Mexico has been very, very peaceful and sound for decades. There really hasn't been much in terms of diplomatic controversies between these two countries.
But over the summer, President Trump met with Enrique Pena Nieto down in Mexico City. And it seemed at that time that then candidate Trump was sort of keeping this insistence that Mexico pay for the wall on the U.S. border, sort of, on the diplomatic sidelines.
They talked about it behind the scenes but they didn't talk about it in front of the cameras. And it was in that back and forth, even at that time, when Mexico's president, Pena Nieto, told President Trump they are not going to pay for this wall.
So, the new American president has known about Enrique Pena Nieto's stance on this for some time. But President Trump, perhaps thinking this diplomatic controversy might work to his advantage politically, decided to keep on pushing with this. With that executive order yesterday, authorizing the beginnings of construction of a wall on the border.
And it is -- it is certainly making an impact here at this GOP retreat. Earlier this morning, Senator majority leader, Mitch McConnell, was asked about this. And he said, well, we're going to be looking into how U.S. taxpayers will be paying for this bill. The $12 billion to $15 billion estimated, in terms of the price tag for that wall.
But he said it will be up to President Trump to deal with the diplomatic fallout, to deal with the diplomacy of dealing with Mexico on this -- Wolf.
BLITZER: I want you to stand by. We're -- momentarily, we're going to be hearing from the president on a whole range of issues. We'll have live coverage of that coming up. In the meantime, I want to go to Mexico City. Leyla, what are you
hearing there from Mexican government officials about this really extraordinary development?
Two close U.S. -- two close allies, the U.S. and Mexico. All of a sudden, in the first few days of a new administration, the president of Mexico, who was invited to be among one of the first foreign leaders to meet with the president of the United States, deciding to cancel the visit.
What are they saying in Mexico City?
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this is something that a group of Mexican senators called for yesterday, saying we don't believe our president should be meeting with President Trump. And now it's sort of come to fruition.
[13:05:03] But this was a sequence of events that led up to this, Wolf. Last night, the president of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, (INAUDIBLE) with a three-minute video on Twitter. And he said, I don't believe in walls. Never going to pay
for one. Oh, but I do believe in friendship.
And then, this morning, Donald Trump tweeted that if Mexico is not willing to pay for the wall, maybe they shouldn't meet. And then, came the tweet from President Pena Nieto saying, I don't plan to meet with President Trump.
What isn't clear, right now, is which one happened first. The call to the White House or Donald Trump's tweet, saying maybe you shouldn't come.
So, as far as reaction, a lot of those senators that were calling for that cancellation, obviously, happy today. The people that we have heard on the streets today have been talking about Trump. A lot of people wondering if this was actually going to happen.
Of course, there was also a bit of egging on from former president, Vicente Fox, who is from the right leaning party here in Mexico, saying, yes, let's stand our ground.
And so, for President Pena Nieto, this would be a way of protecting his legacy. There will be a presidential election next year.
And, you know, the last time he invited President Trump, then candidate Trump, to Mexico, that didn't go over so well and his approval ratings, right now, the latest polls show he's at 12 percent.
So, I think this could be a way for President Pena Nieto to not only do as he says to protect President -- to protect Mexico's interests, but also a way of standing firm with the people of Mexico, in making sure that dignity is restored for them in this new relationship with the United States of America.
BLITZER: All right, Leyla, I want you to stand by. The president's trip to Philadelphia is being met by protest. Those demonstrators are gathered outside the hotel where the president is meeting with GOP leaders.
CNN's Brynn Gingras is at the protest site for us. Set the scene, Brynn. What's going on?
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, Wolf. An enormous crowd really shut down the streets all around Philadelphia's city hall. I want to go this way because you can see some of this crowd.
This is actually what you were just talking about, where President Trump is meeting with -- in that GOP retreat. This is as far as this crowd is going to be allowed to go because of the secret service -- secret service security.
But actually, if we turn around now, you can actually see some of this crowd is moving in the opposite direction. And that's because we were just told that now they're going to head to one of Pennsylvania's senator's office.
Now, Wolf, we're hearing a number of protests' subjects. We're hearing about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. We're hearing about immigration. We're hearing about gay rights. All of the things that we've actually been hearing about before the inauguration last week. And those protests continuing.
I think I talked to you several times, Wolf, where I've talked to people, over the last few days, who said they're going to continue protests like this during the Trump administration. At least the first 100 days. And that's exactly what we're seeing in downtown Philadelphia right now -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We're going to get back to you, Brynn. You'll update us on the protests unfolding in Philadelphia.
Right now, I want to bring in our panel. And, Gloria, this is pretty extraordinary, this setback in U.S.-Mexican relationships. The relationship right at the beginning of President Trump's administration. I don't remember a time when a new president has come into office, invited an ally, a leader of a close country like Mexico --
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right.
BLITZER: -- or the U.K. or Canada, to come to Washington. And within a day or two, all of a sudden, it explodes.
BORGER: A Twitter war between two leaders? No, I don't remember it either. Sean Spicer, the president communications director, just apparently said on Air Force One that the White House wants to reschedule this meeting. We'll have to see whether that occurs.
But you, you know, the president of Mexico's popularity, as was just pointed out, is at 12 percent. He didn't do himself any favors when he met with Donald Trump the first time around. In fact, I think Donald Trump used him pretty well in that meeting.
If you recall in that meeting, the wall did not come up --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
BORGER: -- and paying for the wall did not come up.
So, I think, now, that this was the only decision the president of Mexico could make. And no one should be surprised that he canceled the meeting, having received that tweet this morning from the president of the United States.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Think of this contrast, Wolf. You have U.S. ally, Mexico, a neighbor, a long cultural and economic history there, no question. Historic ties with this relationship really in bad shape.
And then, with Russia, which is very much not an ally, right? An adversary on a thousand different fronts, including interference in the election. A much friendlier relationship shaping up, or at least in public comments by Trump.
[13:10:05] And you might even have a situation where President Trump meets with President Putin before he meets with the president of Mexico. And that's the thing. This is a true upheaval in principle U.S. relations, U.S. foreign power relationships, principal ones.
And the idea that you would be blowing up the one with your neighbor while looking, you know, in very unfavorable times, you could say, trying to rekindle a relationship with Russia is just a remarkable contrast.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's remarkable but so in keeping with the politics of 2016, now 2017. These are two leaders that are entirely playing to their political constituencies and to their political bases.
Donald Trump is very, very fresh off a campaign where he was railing against illegal immigration, going after the Mexican government for not doing enough to stop illegal immigration, the cartels, on and on and on and on.
Despite the fact -- or probably because of, as you said, the fact that then-candidate Trump went to Mexico, had this meeting, the president of Mexico has to show that he's got a backbone. That he can stand up to the new president.
And the new president here has to stand up to the president of Mexico to show his constituents he's not going to, you know, take it when he understandably says, Mexico is not paying for the wall.
So, you have that going on, kind of like a continued campaign across the border, as opposed to diplomatic relations that we've been used to. We shouldn't be surprised. We're going to have a lot of things we're not used to. We already have over the past five days. And this is just --
SCIUTTO: There is a reason why foreign policy is not set by votes or polls, right?
(CROSSTALK)
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: And, I mean, I think it all proceeds from a very unrealistic idea and campaign promise which is that Donald Trump, over and over again, claimed that a foreign government was going to pay for a very expensive American infrastructure project.
And now, you have Congress really scrambling to figure out how they're going to pay for this wall. It looks like it's going to be the American taxpayers who are going to pay for it and the details will be worked out later.
But it's really extraordinary to see this and to see it happen on Twitter and to see this president of Mexico stand up and try to, obviously, show his constituencies that he's not going to be pushed around by Donald Trump.
But, again, Donald Trump has said he's a master negotiator. He's trying to play hardball. But at least in this situation, it seems as it's blowing up.
BLITZER: And, you know, it's important, and, Jim, I know you've been looking into this. Over the past day or two, the foreign minister of Mexico has been here in Washington and meeting with top aides at the White House, including Jared Kushner, the son-in-law, a senior adviser now to the president.
And we're getting closer and closer to the remarks from the president in Philadelphia at this Republican leadership retreat. We'll have that. Paul Ryan, I think, the speaker, is going to be introducing President Trump.
But, presumably in these preliminary talks, the foreign minister of Mexico meeting with senior advisers to President Trump, was told, you know what? Mexico is going to pay for the wall. You're going to have to accept that. That's a nonstarter, if you want to not think about that.
And that, presumably, in my estimate, led to this explosion, this decision by the president of Mexico to cancel the visit.
SCIUTTO: Sure. And, listen, those meetings are going on and they have to go on. Those relationships, if not at the presidential level, at the lower level, because Mexico needs the U.S. and, arguably, the U.S. needs Mexico, in a dozen different ways.
So, Mexico, while the president of Mexico is making a point here of saying, I'm not going to -- you know, I'm not going to dance to this tune, Mexican officials, Mexican business leaders, et cetera, they know, you know, we can't cut ties, right? And that's not good.
And American leaders, I'm sure, in the White House know that as well. It's not good for either side.
HENDERSON: Yes, all of our T.V.s are made in Mexico, right?
SCIUTTO: Yes.
HENDERSON: You can go to Best Buy and get a large T.V. for $400 because it's Mexico.
BORGER: So, you have to ask, what's next?
HENDERSON: Yes.
BORGER: Is there a trade war coming with Mexico?
BLITZER: Well, it's not just the wall, too. They -- President Trump says he wants to renegotiate NAFTA, --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: -- the Northern American Free Trade Agreement.
BORGER: Exactly, exactly.
BLITZER: So, that's a huge issue as well.
SCIUTTO: Pressuring U.S. companies to not make stuff down there, right? Which is part of -- another central part of the economic relationship with costs, no question, but also benefits.
BASH: Look, I mean, obviously, Mexico is the United States' neighbor. But I'm sure you had this experience covering the White House. I remember covering George W. Bush going down for a meeting with then President Vicente Fox. And it wasn't all roses and dances. I mean, there were -- there have been tensions continuously in the past.
SCIUTTO: Yes.
BASH: And the two leaders try to work out at it in a diplomatic way that we are used to which is --
SCIUTTO: Right.
BASH: -- which is not happening now because that's not the way the new president operates. And, clearly --
[13:15:02] SCIUTTO: You're right. I mean, people thought George W. Bush was going to be a U.S. president for Mexico.
BASH: Yes.
SCIUTTO: You know, and Vicente Fox, there was that great, you know, personal relationship they had.
BASH: Exactly.
SCIUTTO: And that didn't -- you know, there was a -- from the Mexican's point of view, George W. Bush didn't deliver in that sense.
BASH: That's right.
BORGER: Well, and then now you have -- and we're looking at pictures of Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader here -- you have Republicans in the Congress wondering just how they're going to pay for this wall, which Paul Ryan said this morning that --
BLITZER: You know what, Gloria, I want to go -- go -- it looks like he was just introducing the president of the United States. Let's see. There he is.
SCIUTTO: There he is.
BORGER: There he is.
BLITZER: Donald Trump is at the Philadelphia congressional retreat. We thought Paul Ryan would be introducing the president, but it was Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, introducing the president. So let's listen in.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much, Mitch.
So nice. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE) Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Thank you. So nice.
Nice to win. Do we agree? It's been a while. It's been a while since we had this position. Nice to win.
(APPLAUSE)
And I want to thank everybody in the room. So many friends. Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Sit down, everybody. Let's enjoy ourselves.
It's great to be in Philadelphia. I went to school in Philadelphia. This is a very special place in our nation's history. It's the place where we launched our American independence. The state of Pennsylvania is very special to me for lots of reasons, especially from a couple of months ago. Remember?
(APPLAUSE)
Pennsylvania cannot be won. Remember? Pennsylvania cannot be won. Right, Congressman? There is no path to victory for Trump in Pennsylvania, except we won.
Now, it has been a long time since you guys did this, but it was just a great victory. It was a great evening. It was a great evening, I will tell you. But it sort of started in Pennsylvania.
They all said that Pennsylvania was the bride that got away; that it was the state that everybody from the Republican Party that ran in Pennsylvania for 38 years thought they won, except they never won. And I thought I won, too, but I was afraid to say it, Mitch, because it just seemed that it wasn't working out. So I just said, you know what, I think we did great; let's see what happens. But good things happened.
So we love this state and we will see it many times again.
Now is the dawn of a new era of American independence, a rededication to the idea that the people are in charge of their own destiny. I want to thank Majority Leader McConnell -- great guy; and Speaker Paul Ryan -- very, very special. And he is writing his heart out, right? And we're actually going to sign the stuff that you're writing. You're not wasting your time.
(APPLAUSE)
He would write and he'd send it up, and nothing would happen. But now it's going to happen.
For their leadership and for inviting me here today, thank you very much.
And thank you, Leader McCarthy, Senator Cornyn, Congressman Scalise, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Congressman Messer, for your leadership as well. It's been terrific.
This Congress is going to be the busiest Congress we've had in decades, maybe ever, maybe ever. Think of that. And think of everything we can achieve. And remember who we must achieve it for. We're here now because tens of millions of Americans have placed their hopes in us to transfer power from Washington, D.C. and give it back to the people.
(APPLAUSE)
So important.
(APPLAUSE)
Now we have to deliver. Enough all talk, no action. We have to deliver. This our chance to achieve great and lasting change for our beloved nation.
Since taking office, I have taken major contractual steps to restore the rule of law and to return power to everyday Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
And even though it's only a few days, we've done it in record numbers.
TRUMP: We've issued executive orders to build the Keystone and Dakota pipelines. [13:20:04]
(APPLAUSE)
And issued a new requirement for American pipelines to be made with American steel and fabricated in the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
And I was sitting at my desk and I'm getting ready to sign Keystone and Dakota, I said where's the pipe coming from -- and I won't tell you where, but you wouldn't be happy. I say, why is it we build pipelines and we're not using pipe that's made in our country. I say, let's put that little clause in, like it's a one sentence clause, but that clause is gonna attract a lot of people and we're gonna make that pipe right here in America. OK?
(APPLAUSE)
If people want to build pipelines on our land, we want the pipe to be manufactured -- and not only that, manufactured here, but you will see a level of quality that you're not going to see when they bring pipe from far distances, have to bring it in small chunks and then fabricate it on the land. Give me a break. We can do much better than that and we're going to do it much better and it's gonna end up costing less money, believe me.
We've reinstated the Mexico City policy, a long-standing policy--
(APPLAUSE)
Isn't that nice?
(APPLAUSE)
And by the way, on Friday, a lot of people are gonna be showing up to Washington. Right, Mike? A lot of people. You know, the press never gives them the credit that they deserve. They'll have 300, 400, 500, 600 thousand people. You won't even read about it. When other people show up, you read big-time about it. Right? So, it's not fair, but nothing fair about the media.
(LAUGHTER)
Nothing.
(APPLAUSE)
A long-standing policy to ensure taxpayer dollars do not fund abortion services overseas.
(APPLAUSE)
We have issued executive orders to remove wasteful regulations that slow down commerce and delay infrastructure -- which we desperately need. The very beginning of a massive effort to reduce the crushing regulations on our economy and we are going to reduce regulations big- time.
(APPLAUSE)
We've also withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, paving the way for new one-on-one trade deals that protect and defend the American worker, and believe me, we're gonna have a lot of trade deals -- Mitch, don't worry about it.
(LAUGHTER)
Just give me a little time.
(LAUGHTER)
But they'll be one-on-one. They won't be whole big mashed pot. They'll be one-on-one deals. And if that particular country doesn't treat us fairly, we send them a 30 day termination -- notice of termination. And they'll come and say, please don't do that and we'll negotiate a better deal during that 30 day period. The other way, you cannot get out of it, it's like quicksand.
Plus, we're going to have very, very strong controls over monetary manipulation and devaluation, which they didn't have in TPP. So this is gonna be so much better and we're already on it. I would like to have my Commerce Secretary Wilbur approved because I hear he did fantastically well, but they're not quick with the pen on signing these people. Because we'd like to him approved as soon as possible.
So -- I know, and Mitch says it will be done and it will be. They could move faster on the other side. I will say that.
(LAUGHTER)
Could move faster.
(APPLAUSE)
I mean, I'm meeting with the prime minister tomorrow, as you know. Great Britain. So, I'm meeting with her tomorrow, I don't have my commerce secretary -- they want to talk trade. So, I'll have to handle it myself.
(LAUGHTER) Which is OK.
(APPLAUSE)
We've put in place the first steps in our immigration plan, ordering the immediate construction of the border wall, putting an end to catch and release, expediting the removal of criminal -- this is so important to me. From day one I've said it, and I mean the immediate removal of criminal aliens. They're gonna be gone, fast.
(APPLAUSE)
And finally--
(APPLAUSE)
--. at long last, cracking down on sanctuary cities.
[13:25:06]
(APPLAUSE)
It's time to restore the civil rights of Americans, to protect their jobs, their hopes and their dreams for a much better future. Congress passed these laws to serve our citizens and it's about time those laws were properly enforced. They're not enforced.
(APPLAUSE)
The hour of justice for the American worker has arrived. Border security is a serious, serious national issue and problem. A lack of security poses a substantial threat to the sovereignty and safety of the United States of America and its citizens.
Most illegal immigration is coming from our southern border. I've said many times that the American people will not pay for the wall. And I've made that clear to the government of Mexico.
NAFTA has been a terrible deal, a total disaster for the United States from its inception, costing us as much as $60 billion a year with Mexico alone in trade deficits. You say, who negotiates these deals? Not to mention, millions of jobs and thousands and thousands of factories and plants closing down all over our country.
On top of that are the trillions of dollars the U.S. taxpayers have spent to pay the costs of illegal immigration. Much of it is then been sent back, and much of it goes back to other countries, and oftentimes because they don't respect us, the other countries will not accept the criminals that we send back to them that are illegally in our country. I promise you, they will start accepting them again, quickly. We are not going to them any longer.
(APPLAUSE)
I will not allow the taxpayers or the citizens of the United States to pay the costs of this defective transaction, NAFTA, one that should have been renegotiated many years ago except the politicians were too preoccupied to do so. Now these people are not in that category, you understand. This is a different group. I think. Right?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: To that end, the president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting scheduled for next week. Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go in different route. We have no choice.
Paul Ryan and other leaders in Congress and I, and Mike Pence -- how good a choice was vice president Mike Pence? Stand up.
(APPLAUSE)
Everybody loves him.
(APPLAUSE)
In fact, anytime I got myself into a jam early -- you know, I haven't been doing this stuff too long, but any time I got myself into a jam, oftentimes they'd say on television, yes, but look, he picked Mike Pence, so he's got to have something going, right?
(LAUGHTER)
So Mike really helped me out.
Well, we're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall if we decide to go that route. It is time that the American people had a president fighting as hard for its citizens as other countries do for theirs, and that's exactly what I'm going to do for you. Believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
It's time that somebody fought for our country and didn't let anyone take advantage of us anymore. The world has taken advantage of us for many years. Not going to happen anymore. We will have an ambitious legislative agenda as well. Our legislative work starts with repealing and replacing Obamacare.
(APPLAUSE)
And saving families from the catastrophic rise in premiums and debilitating loss of choice and just about everything else.
[13:30:00] And remember this for this room in particular -- Obamacare is a disaster. The Democrats are up and they're saying, oh, they're putting up signs like it's wonderful. It's a disaster.
