Editorial: A Politically Calculated Visit

It is impossible not to have watched in disbelief Donald Trump’s surprising visit to Mexico to meet with President Enrique Peña-Nieto. It is hard to understand why the head of state allowed himself to take part in the Republican candidate’s campaign, especially after all the insults the latter has spewed against Mexican immigrants and Mexico’s leaders.

It is true that it was Peña-Nieto who opened the door for the visit when he invited both the Democratic and Republican candidates to Mexico to discuss topics of mutual interest with the future President of the United States. The significance of the two countries’ relationship warrants such meeting. Moreover, the Mexico issue, whether regarding trade or immigration, is a central piece to this election cycle because Trump has used it as a scapegoat to explain all the ills plaguing the United States.

The inexplicable part is not that Trump accepted Peña-Nieto’s invitation, but that the Mexican president accepted the fact that the visit is geared to fit the electoral needs of the millionaire. It is no coincidence that the meeting took place just hours before a much-publicized speech on immigration. The visit is, undoubtedly, a publicity coup for Trump.

The visit gave Trump the chance to look presidential, to be an interlocutor respectable enough as to being received by a head of state, and able to maintain a substantive talk about trade and immigration. It is definitely a triumph for the Trump campaign when the media talks about him in such terms, instead of the gaffes and offenses the candidate is known for.

On the other hand, it is hard to see what is the benefit for Peña Nieto in accepting the meeting at this moment. His popularity has reached rock bottom, and this will not do anything to reverse that. Maybe the presidential image would have benefited had Los Pinos turned down the visit at this moment and sought a more fitting date. Instead, they agreed to serve as a background stage for the Trump campaign precisely on the day he devoted to immigration.

The visit is a calculated political move that Trump will exploit, as he will be giving his version of what he told Peña Nieto depending on the audience in front of him. Mexico’s invitation to the candidates was not a bad idea, but Trump has been able to take political advantage from it because Peña Nieto allowed it.