Trump messes up Mexico visit

Donald Trump’s flying visit to Mexico to meet President Enrique Peña Nieto seemed a brilliant way to regain the initiative on immigration – an area where Sarah Palin and others have recently accused the Republican nominee of going soft.

But in the event, he fell flat on his face.

At first, for Trump fans, it seemed merely a bit disappointingly low-key.

During a televised press conference after the meeting (this morning NZT), a subdued Mr Trump said “We did discuss the wall, we didn’t discuss payment.”

President Peña Nieto also made polite, noncommittal comments before the cameras.

But immediately after, he took to Twitter (where he has 5.64 million followers) to say he did raise payment for the wall, posting:

Al inicio de la conversación con Donald Trump dejé claro que México no pagará por el muro.

— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016

That is, "At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall."

Mr Trump, usually so quick with a rebuttal on Twitter, has been uncharacteristically silent on social media so far today. 

The Mexican president got to look tough, The Donald vague and weak at best, deceitful at worst.

Positioning told the story in conservative media, with Fox News burying the story down its home page.

Trump was back to talking tough as he returned to the US for a rally in Arizona, but still got some stick on social media:

Next rally:
What are we going to build?
A WALL!
And who's going to pay for it?
WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THAT! https://t.co/UADmDAS6WG

— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) August 31, 2016

John Podesta: "It turns out Trump didn't just choke, he got beat in the room and lied about it."

— Gabriel Debenedetti (@gdebenedetti) August 31, 2016

When you get told Mexico not paying for no damn wall and you gotta go back to your friends with the news pic.twitter.com/qpanj796zY

— DADDYNEXTDOOR (@_Symonds_) August 31, 2016

Final score: Peña Nieto 1 Trump 0.

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