Trump Respectful During AMLO Administration / Details US Agenda

Will address migrants issue with “respectful” Trump. President López Obrador said the main reason for his meeting with US President Donald Trump is the entry into force of the USMCA trade treaty, but that he will also address the issue of migrants. “I will call for respectful treatment of our compatriots who had to go to the United States out of necessity,” he said. López Obrador explained that President Trump has been absolutely respectful toward Mexico and Mexicans since López Obrador’s administration started, so statements made during President’s Enrique Peña Nieto administration are not relevant to this meeting.

Details agenda in Washington. President López Obrador said he will arrive in Washington on Wednesday night on a commercial flight. He plans to visit the President Abraham Lincoln monument and also the statue of Benito Juárez. “We will then go to the White House for working meetings late in the evening,” he said. The president confirmed that Minister of Foreign Affairs (SRE) Marcelo Ebrard, President’s office head Alfonso Romo and Minister of Economy Graciela Márquez will travel with him, while Mexico’s Ambassador to the US Martha Bárcenas will join them. The president plans to return on Thursday. He will be hosted at the Mexican Embassy.

Call with Prime Minister Trudeau. After Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the invitation to meet with the other two USMCA regional partners in Washington, President López Obrador said they will have a conversation later today. “Yesterday, Marcelo Ebrard informed me that (Trudeau) wants to speak with me today. I do not know what he is going to tell me,” López Obrador said. He added that Trudeau “and all the heads of state” are invited to visit Mexico.

First COVID-19 test. President López Obrador finally agreed to get tested for COVID-19, prior to his trip to the US. “Tomorrow, I will inform you on the results. I have no symptoms,” he said. The president noted that it would be irresponsible not to get tested before traveling abroad and highlighted that he is open to following every protocol because the virus treats everyone equally.

Lozoya extradition ongoing. Regarding the arrest and extradition process against former PEMEX head Emilio Lozoya, President López Obrador said the investigation into the overpricing of the purchase of a fertilizing plant is ongoing, and that besides recovering the money, the most important thing is to know what really happened. “The fertilizer plant that was bought during the Energy Reform had an above-market price of US$200 million. I believe that the most important thing is that the truth be known in order to expose these acts of corruption,” he said.

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Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish