Donald Trump on the Five Goals America Shares with Mexico

Donald Trump listed five "shared goals" of the United States and Mexico at his press conference with President Nieto. Here they are in the order that he stated them. I am not quoting him precisely, word for word.

1. Ending illegal immigration.

2. Having a secure border. Mutual recognition of the right to build a wall, by each country on its side of the border. No discussion of how the wall will be paid for.

3. Dismantling drug cartels and ending drug flow. Can only be done cooperatively.

4. Improving NAFTA, for both countries. Workers in both countries need a pay raise. Improving pay standards and working conditions.

5.Keep manufacturing wealth in our hemisphere. Jobs have to be retained.

The goal stated fourth in order is at the heart of the achievement of all the other goals. Improvement of pay and working conditions at home makes it unnecessary for workers to migrate to achieve the same result. It also make the life of crime, drug manufacture and smuggling less attractive, as an employment option, for the many foot soldiers of the illegal and dangerous drug trade.

Is Mr. Trump hinting at a raise in the minimum wage in America? I doubt it.

In his fifth "shared goal" it is interesting to note that Mr. Trump has included Mexico into the territory in which it is important to keep jobs and to keep manufacturing and industry. Keeping jobs "in the hemisphere" was the terminology he used. This is quite a departure from his theme of keeping jobs and manufacturing in America and preventing them from going to Mexico.

How about it Detroit? Is Donald Trump now saying that American plants can go to Mexico?

Shared goal number three will only be achieved when the chief law enforcement officers of both countries are Thai nationals, on loan, accompanied by their execution squads.

Some sort of increased fortifications as part of shared goal number 2, secure borders, may well be built along the Mexican boarder but I doubt if they will be much more than an infrastructure project of dubious usefulness.

Getting more of the money down to lower levels of the economy of each country is the only way to bring illegal immigration, shared goal number one, down to a trickle.

Good luck with that one. Each leader will be battling the "enemy within and at the top" of their respective societies.

I can agree with a bit of what he said, though I take a different approach.

Open the border, make Mexico and the US economic "partners" (get it over with...make Mexico part of the US), legalize drugs (making the cartels fall or turn them in to "small business owners") and combine our economic powerhouse to negotiate better trade terms with the rest of the world in order to bring wealth and manufacturing to our hemisphere.

Just a thought.

a reply to: ipsedixit

It was painfully obvious what Trumps no. 1 goal was with this trip south of the Border. It was transparent pandering to Hispanics. Trump isn't stupid, he knows that without minorities support he's dead in the water, up **** creek without a paddle and terminado....

Will it work...maybe. He probably lost more conservatives to his sucking up to the Mexicans than he gained. Flip flop....

How do you get American manufacturing jobs are now allowed to go to Mexico from that?

I read it as, Mexican jobs need to stay in Mexico. A strong nationalist Mexico, no more Mexican jobs going to China

a reply to: introvert

Lol make Mexico a part of the US? Do you understand what that would do to our economy and healthcare?

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: introvert

Lol make Mexico a part of the US? Do you understand what that would do to our economy and healthcare?

Yes, it would alleviate a few problems that we currently spend way too much money on, including border/immigration issues, the "war on drugs", the costs of incarceration for drug offenders and allow us to spend more money on healthcare and other programs.

Seems alright by me.

a reply to: ipsedixit

The problem in US was really not folks coming over and taking manufacturing jobs but taking the scraps and skill labor contractor jobs. Now this may have pissed off americans but the wealthy or lets just say the concerned didn't give a good f'in dam what you or I though, think or are thinking about it.

Trump maybe trying to sell, now that they are on the hook, the working class and middle class whatever, nafta and a regional global look as an answer to the discontent and aggravation.

I wonder if he is going to go to India and find out if he can stop them from buying up whole neighborhoods in america. LOL
Or is he going to go talk to Assad?

a reply to: introvert

A citizenry speaking half one language, and half another, not so good a way to unite them.

Oh, and how many people here would even want to go there. The migrations would be entirely lop sided.

If Mexico has a strong economy, it does a few things to help with the immigration problem:

1.) It creates jobs in Mexico. I am not talking about American jobs outsourced, but either Mexican jobs that originate there or jobs from other parts of the world that are still being outsourced.

2.) As Mexico builds its own stable, real economy, not only do its legitimate people have less need to try to sneak into the US, but they also have a country they will want to reform and clean up. Also Mexico itself will be far less reliant on the illegal revenue stream of US dollars being wire transferred home.

3.) An economically strong partner is a much better trading partner and one that we can work with to stem the tide of the cartels which are a major problem for both us and Mexico.

originally posted by: thinline
How do you get American manufacturing jobs are now allowed to go to Mexico from that?

I read it as, Mexican jobs need to stay in Mexico. A strong nationalist Mexico, no more Mexican jobs going to China

Yes, yes as if say General Motors is going to give a dam what Mexico thinks if more "jobs" go to China via Mexico. via Detroit.

Solid comedy right here.

a reply to: introvert

So you honestly think that we could financially take on another 130 million people and it'd be hunky dory? Do you understand why we have an immigration process? Do you understand that undocumented aliens carry dieseases that we don't get in the US?

a reply to: ketsuko


Yea but skit, america sent half of well just about everything to Mexico (at 8 pesos on the $) and no the cartels have expanded.

a reply to: thinline

You have a point, but I think it is largely a rhetorical one. Trump doesn't sound like he now favors drastic changes to NAFTA, only "improvements" that benefit both countries. i think that will entail adhering to the "free trade" aspects of things, including freedom to relocate plant.

However he may elaborate details in the future that are more in line with his consistently stated intention to make it very difficult for corporations to move jobs out of the US.

a reply to: avgguy

Agreed. Mexico has some significant nation development before we could even consider such a thing as true open borders. We would be much closer to that with Canada who is a much closer match for us economically.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

A citizenry speaking half one language, and half another, not so good a way to unite them.

We don't seem to have too many problems with the language barrier so far.

Oh, and how many people here would even want to go there. The migrations would be entirely lop sided.

There are entire communities of ex-pats in Mexico.

Some places are quite nice. Some are crap.

Sounds like the US, huh?

Who here will be first in line to move to Mexico if the nations united?

originally posted by: Logarock
a reply to: ketsuko


Yea but skit, america sent half of well just about everything to Mexico (at 8 pesos on the $) and no the cartels have expanded.

I am arguing for real reform in Mexico. It doesn't exist now. Any real moves on the cartels are going to take a long time, but having an actual economy in that country that isn't 25% propped up by Western Union wire transfer would be a start.

a reply to: Logarock

Looking his statements over for a second time, there is definitely an air of "wallpaper" putting a pleasant covering over a lot of details that have not really been engaged in bilateral relations between the two countries or even between Mr. Trump and the American industrial oligarchy.

a reply to: introvert

They thought about sending my husband for business into Mexico ... because his business is in pharma, he would have likely needed a private security detail to protect him from being kidnapped by the cartels.

Yeah, great place, Mexico.

a reply to: ketsuko

I work with two Mexicans that can't even go back to Mexico because of safety concerns.