They did, however, offer to “provide help and cooperation to the U.S. government in order to deal with the impact of [Hurricane Harvey] — as good neighbors should always do in trying times."
Trump has been insisting that he will build a wall on the Mexican-American border at Mexico’s expense, for more than two years now, since his campaign launch in 2015.
Earlier this month, during his first White House call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Trump asked him to stop telling the press that Mexico would not pay for the wall in order to keep appearances that his campaign promise was still plausible.
Less than a week ago during a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump threatened to shut down the government if Congress refused to pay for the border wall, apparently deciding that Congress would be a fair substitute to Mexico. But in typical Trump fashion, he took to Twitter Sunday to air his grievances, when he once again insisted Mexico would be the one to foot the bill for the wall of his dreams.
“With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other,” Trump tweeted.
Mexico’s response: no.
In a statement, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said their refusal to pay for the wall is “not part of a Mexican negotiation strategy,” but rather a firm decision, based on principles of "national sovereignty and dignity."
The department also responded to Trump’s dig at their high crime rate, saying drug and weapon trafficking and money laundering between the U.S. and Mexico is a shared problem that will only be solved if its "root causes are addressed: high demand for drugs in the United States and supply from Mexico (and other countries.)”
The department also address to another cryptic tweet sent from Trump's account Sunday, reading: “We are in NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?”
Mexico's response? Not today.
“Mexico will not negotiate NAFTA, or any other aspect of the bilateral relationship, through social media or any other news platform,” the statement read.
