Trump goes to Mexico

[ag]

Judging by the tenor of today´s lunchtime conversation, we are rapidly moving into impeachment levels of support of Peña. And this is, literally, days before the State of the Union. The guy is an imbecile.

Is your president really this stupid?

Well, that he is stupid is not a news. But, yeah, this beats expectations. Apparently, though, he is.

[ag]

The first page of El Universal has links to multiple stories and commentary, with the word "vergüenza" figuring prominently, as you might imagine. 

No real news yet, other than a short helicopter flight and some people holding up protest signs, as well as a piece that says that the PRI supports the decision to receive Trump, if I'm reading it right. 

Yep. Though if you go to the article, it is just one PRI senator, who also says that there will be a meeting with Clinton. None of the heavyweights are saying anything. I am certain, they are in shock.

[ag]

Treasury Secretary is supporting the president. Mind it: that this is a news tells you quite a bit.

[Simfan34]

Treasury Secretary is supporting the president. Mind it: that this is a news tells you quite a bit.

Sounds like a bit like the Labour Party....

[ag]

Headline in El Milenio: Peña votes for Trump.

[angus]

must be exciting.  are you in the streets now, or can you see anything from your windows?

I'm vaguely familiar with the neighborhood, and have stayed in several hotels downtown.  Is the president's residence near your offices?

edit:  I just looked it up and learned that Los Pinos is in Chapultepec Park.  I've been there too.  As I recall, it wouldn't be visible from any offices.  You should go down to the streets and see if there are any radical protesters.  First-hand reporting is always better than what gets filtered through newspapers.

[Fusionmunster]

Treasury Secretary is supporting the president. Mind it: that this is a news tells you quite a bit.

He's not seriously going to pay for the wall, is he?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Could this possibly end up positively for Pena Nieto? What can he do to achieve that?

[The Other Castro]

Josh Earnest throwing some subtle Trump shade:

Matt Viser ‏@mviser
@PressSec notes Obama in 08 spoke in Berlin to 100k who "enthusiastically cheered his speech. We'll see if Mr. Trump is similarly received"

[Hermit For Peace]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/people-mexico-sending-their-best-donald-trump/25920/

[Fusionmunster]

Edit: I think its fake, nevermind.

[Simfan34]

Edit: I think its fake, nevermind.

You think?

[Fusionmunster]

Edit: I think its fake, nevermind.

You think?

Im on a smart phone with a cracked screen, sometimes mistakes happen.

[Maxwell]

Could this possibly end up positively for Pena Nieto? What can he do to achieve that?

maybe if he starts making fun of the size of Trump's hands and allows his fellow Mexicans to throw rotten tomatoes at him.

[angus]

Could this possibly end up positively for Pena Nieto? What can he do to achieve that?

Well I think it was a gamble for both men.  The Donald has low approval ratings, but so does Peña.  I think that if they go into a meeting and find something to agree on and make a quick statement and don't get hit with eggs and shoes, then it shows the USA voters that Trump knows how to deal with foreigners and it shows the Mexican voters that Peña knows how to deal with bullies.  On the downside, if what gets reported here are mostly protesters and grumbling then Trump has lost the gamble and Peña has lost the gamble.  So far it is not looking good for the Mexican president.  Most of the Mexican articles are negative, and far more politicians are calling it a mistake than a wise move.  How Trump fares remains to be seen.  It doesn't really matter for Peña, because he's a lameduck anyway.  Trump's the one to watch.

It is interesting to see how quickly the mexican press updates compared to the Washington press in this case.  If you can muster enough Spanish to read them, the articles are coming in every few minutes in Journada, Universal, and Prensa.  If you can't read them, that's okay too because there are many photos worth thousands of words, most of them negative.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Could this possibly end up positively for Pena Nieto? What can he do to achieve that?

Well I think it was a gamble for both men.  The Donald has low approval ratings, but so does Peña.  I think that if they go into a meeting and find something to agree on and make a quick statement and don't get hit with eggs and shoes, then it shows the USA voters that Trump knows how to deal with foreigners and it shows the Mexican voters that Peña knows how to deal with bullies.  On the downside, if what gets reported here are mostly protesters and grumbling then Trump has lost the gamble and Peña has lost the gamble.  So far it is not looking good for the Mexican president.  Most of the Mexican articles are negative, and far more politicians are calling it a mistake than a wise move.  How Trump fares remains to be seen.  It doesn't really matter for Peña, because he's a lameduck anyway.  Trump's the one to watch.

It is interesting to see how quickly the mexican press updates compared to the Washington press in this case.  If you can muster enough Spanish to read them, the articles are coming in every few minutes in Journada, Universal, and Prensa.  If you can't read them, that's okay too because there are many photos worth thousands of words, most of them negative.

Best and worse case scenarios for both men?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/people-mexico-sending-their-best-donald-trump/25920/

lol

[Fusionmunster]

Someone was just screaming on the live stream, probably a protester.

[angus]

Best and worse case scenarios for both men?

¿quién sabe?

I suppose realistically Trump is so far down in the polls that you can call this one a Hail Mary Pass.  Worst case for him is basically where he is now.  Loses election, goes back to being a multibillionaire bully with a fairly attractive wife.  Probably not a bad life, really, assuming one isn't bothered by a moral compass.

Worst case for Peña I figure is that he stays a lame duck with a law degree and a book deal to fall back on and a super hot wife.  Also probably not a bad life.  Impeachment has been mentioned, but I'd guess that's overkill.  If Mexican law works like US law, and I'm not sure that it does, Peña has done nothing to cause his impeachment.  Foolish, maybe, but not illegal or unethical.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Best and worse case scenarios for both men?

¿quién sabe?

I suppose realistically Trump is so far down in the polls that you can call this one a Hail Mary Pass.  Worst case for him is basically where he is now.  Loses election, goes back to being a multibillionaire bully with a fairly attractive wife.  Probably not a bad life, really, assuming one isn't bothered by a moral compass.

Worst case for Peña I figure is that he stays a lame duck with a law degree and a book deal to fall back on and a super hot wife.  Also probably not a bad life.  Impeachment has been mentioned, but I'd guess that's overkill.  If Mexican law works like US law, and I'm not sure that it does, Peña has done nothing to cause his impeachment.  Foolish, maybe, but not illegal or unethical.

Best case scenarios?

[The Other Castro]

[Simfan34]

As I said on the other forum the video looks straight out of 1988. And now the audio is jarbled.

[angus]

Best case scenarios?

Trump actually gets that fool to pay for a wall.  (just kidding.  A wall would be horrible for both our countries.  The one that's already there is causing more problems than it is solving.)

Best case for Trump is that he comes off looking like a leader.  Gravitas and sensitivity are deeply lacking in his persona.  Many will never vote for him, and against a more likeable Democrat, he'd be toast, but the main charges against him seem to be that (1) he doesn't know much about government and politics, (2) he will offend foreign leaders, and (3) he's a bigot.  Spun correctly, a non-confrontational meeting with the president of Mexico might deflect some of that criticism.

For the Mexican president it's a chance to show that he can stand up to the giant.  He can talk to the press about a guarantee that the US government will never ask the people of Mexico to, in the words of Vicente Fox Quesada, "build that fucking wall."  He knows that no matter who wins the election in the USA, Mexico will have to deal with that person.  There's a slim chance that it might be The Donald.  This could be a chance to offer a Mexican perspective to a rather shallow and insensitive man who has never heard a well-articulated version of the Mexican perspective.  In the long run, this meeting could have foreign policy consequences that benefit both countries.  (Of course, that's probably a stretch, but you did say "best" case.)

[angus]

Live now!!  watch and listen:   http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Wow! This is BEAUTIFUL and ELEGANT. Trump the noble diplomat making change happen! US Mexico