Mexico said Wednesday that the Associated Press’ account of a call Friday between President Trump and his Mexican counterpart is inaccurate.
“The assertions that you make about said conversation do not correspond to the reality of it,” the Mexican government said in a statement on the wire service’s reporting.
“The tone was constructive,” according to a statement from Mexico’s foreign relations department, “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.”
The White House joined in, saying that “reports that the President threatened to invade Mexico are false. Even the Mexican government is disputing these reports.”
AP, citing excerpts obtained from a transcript of the call, reported that Mr. Trump told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto the U.S. military was prepared to handle “bad hombres down there” if Mexican authorities won’t.
“You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it,” Mr. Trump said, according to the debunked report.
SEE ALSO: Malcolm Turnbull denies Trump canceled refugee deal in testy call
The AP’s description of the transcript doesn’t contain the Mexican president’s response or indicate the tone or context of Mr. Trump’s remark.
But reporting on the call has nevertheless fueled online headlines and social media commentary that portray Mr. Trump’s comments as a threat to invade Mexico.
One Mexican website, Aristegui Noticias, described Mr. Trump as humiliating the Mexican president, an allegation Mexico’s foreign relations department said is based “is based on absolute falsehoods.”
• David Eldridge can be reached at deldridge@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.