Mexican official’s resignation proves visit was successful, says Trump

Donald Trump continues to fuel the controversy caused by his visit to Mexico last week. The Republican candidate in November’s presidential election bragged on Wednesday that the scandal caused by his meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has led to the resignation of Finance Minister Luis Videgaray, something he touts as proof that his visit was a success and that he understands how foreign policy works.

The trip allowed the New York businessman to present himself to Americans as a statesman

“The people who arranged the trip in Mexico have been forced out of government,” Trump said when asked about his foreign policy credentials at a national security forum hosted by NBC. “That’s how well we did.”

Videgaray, one of the president’s closest advisors, resigned on Wednesday after being outed as the person who arranged the meeting between Peña Nieto and the Republican candidate.

The encounter, which took place last Wednesday in Mexico City, has led to a political storm at home after Trump came and went without apologizing for insulting Mexicans on the campaign trail, and then insisting soon after the meeting that Mexico will pay for the construction of a wall at the southern US border.

The trip allowed the New York businessman to present himself to Americans as a statesman. Voters have now had a preview of what it might be like to have him represent the nation in the international arena.

The real estate mogul has exploited and sold the meeting with Peña Nieto as a success. On Tuesday, he accused the Mexican president of bending the pre-arranged rules of the encounter by trying to discuss payment of the border wall.

English version by Dyane Jean François.