Trump talked tersely with leaders of Mexico, Australia
WASHINGTON — Transcripts of President Donald Trump’s conversations with the leaders of Mexico and Australia in January offer new details on how the president parried with the leaders over the politics of the border wall and refugee policy — with random asides on such subjects as drug abuse in New Hampshire.
The president’s exchanges with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull one week after the inauguration were widely reported upon at the time. But transcripts published Friday by The Washington Post offer new detail on the new president’s blunt exchanges with the U.S. allies. The White House said Thursday that the release of the transcripts is a disservice to Trump.
“Leaking the phone calls between our president and other heads of state is nothing short of a national disgrace,” White House senior counsellor Kellyanne Conway said Friday on “Fox & Friends.” ”You’re hurting the president’s ability to negotiate and to discuss serious issues with other heads of state and you’re absolutely you’re hurting the country.”
In his conversation with Pena Nieto, Trump urged the Mexican president to stop saying his country won’t pay for the wall along the southern U.S. border, and the two agreed to stop talking about the subject in public.