Mexican President In U.S. With Weak Hand


President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico went to Washington to meet with President Trump. Photo Credit: Mexican Presidency, via Reuters.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited the U.S. on Wednesday, July 8th. He met with President Trump.

There is an old saying, “Whether the rock hits the pitcher, or the pitcher hits the rock, it is going to be worse for the pitcher.”

That seems to be the case between Mexico and the United States. Mexico has to do whatever the U.S. wants it to do. If it does not, the outcome will be worse for Mexico than it will be for the U.S.

President Trump has demeaned Mexicans from the day he said he was running for the U.S. presidency. For example, he said a U.S. judge could not be fair because he is a Mexican.

Mr. López Obrador ran for president of Mexico as a populist. He said he was a man of the people who would fight for the working class. He won big.

Somewhere along the way, President López Obrador decided that Mexico could not win any fight with the U.S.

A Mexican family seeking asylum in the United States waiting outside a migration office in Ciudad Juarez. Photo Credit: Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times.

President Trump said Mexico would pay for the border wall between the two countries. He threatened to impose tariffs if Mexico did not bend to his will. He forced a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA.

Most of all, Trump wanted Mexico to help with Central Americans. He wanted to keep the migrants from applying for political asylum in the U.S. He said he would close the U.S. border with Mexico if they did not do as he said.

So far, Mexico is not paying for the wall. Mexico has agreed to a new trade agreement. And Mexico has done what Trump wants, which is to stop the flow of refugees and migrants to the border.

In the past, President Trump has attacked Mexico and Mexicans. His goal is to appease his right-wing base in America. An election for the American president will occur in November. Trump will now use the visit of Mr. López Obrador to show that Mexico supports him.

Trump is using the López Obrador visit to distract people from his failure to control Covid-19.  He also wants people to pay less attention to the mass protests taking place in the U.S.

An expert said Trump enjoys “an incredible amount of leverage” over Mr. López Obrador. “The Mexicans have been doing Trump’s bidding on immigration.”

Trump thinks the visit will help him with Latinos. Will it help Mexico? Few see how.

Mr. López Obrador made it clear he did not want a fight with the U.S. The decision has its critics. An expert said Trump enjoys “an incredible amount of leverage” over Mr. López Obrador. The Mexicans have been doing Trump’s bidding on immigration.”

The Mexican president thinks his job is to present himself as a defender of workers and the economy. So far, he is not paying a price at home. He remains popular. The question is still out there. Will his bending help Mexico or just save it from punishment at the hands of Trump?

Source: The New York Times July 8, 2020

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