President Trump didn’t mince words during his phone call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto last week — belittling him about the “bad hombres down there” and threatening to send US troops over the border if something isn’t done to stop them, reports said.
A portion of the conversation, which was obtained by The Associated Press, was made public Wednesday, just days after the hour-long chat was first revealed.
“You have a bunch of bad hombres down there,” Trump told Pena Nieto, according to the excerpt seen by the AP.
“You aren’t doing enough to stop them,” he said. “I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.”
An insider who had access to the official transcript of the phone call last Friday was said to be the person who gave the excerpt to the AP, the outlet reported.
The source has chosen to remain anonymous.
When questioned about the excerpt, a White House official insisted that Trump was not considering sending troops south of the border.
“Reports that the President threatened to invade Mexico are false,” the official told The Post on Wednesday night. “Even the Mexican government is disputing these reports.
Since the Trump administration initially refused to reveal what was discussed during the conversation, the source has chosen to remain anonymous.
The excerpt does not specify who Trump is referring to when he says “bad hombres” — a term he’s used heavily in the past to describe “drug lords” and law-breaking immigrants from Mexico. It also doesn’t show what his Mexican counterpart said to him in response.
Mexican journalist Dolia Estevez gave a similar account of the phone call on Wednesday during an interview with the local news outlet Aristegui Noticias — saying “it was a very offensive conversation where Trump humiliated Peña Nieto,” according to Business Insider.
“I don’t need the Mexicans, I don’t need Mexico,” Trump reportedly told the Mexican president. “We are going to build the matadorbet giriş wall and you all are going to pay for it, like it or not.”
Writing for the Mexican radio outlet Proyecto Puente, Estevez recalled how Trump flat-out told Peña Nieto that he would force Mexico to pay for his signature border wall with a tax of 10% on Mexican exports.
“He even complained of the bad role the [Mexican] army is playing in the fight against narco trafficking,” Estevez told Aristegui. “[Trump] suggested to [Peña Nieto] that if they are incapable of combating [narco trafficking] he may have to send troops to assume this task.”
While the call between the two leaders was meant to bridge the gap between them, Estevez said it seemed more like an attempt by the president to disparage Peña Nieto.
“I really didn’t want to go to Mexico last August,” Trump reportedly told him at one point, in reference to his visit to the Mexican capital last year.
“Before this unusual onslaught, Peña was not firm,” Estevez said. “He was stammering.”
Mexico’s foreign relations department denied Estevez’ account on Wednesday, claiming it was based on “absolute falsehoods.”
“The assertions that you make about said conversation do not correspond to the reality of it,” they said in a statement. “The tone was constructive and it was agreed by the presidents to continue working and that the teams will continue to meet frequently to construct an agreement that is positive for Mexico and for the United States.”
A White House spokesman did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Additional reporting by Daniel Halper
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