"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-01-09T23:24:28Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/09/trump-wall-natural-border-rivers-white-house-immigration-meeting-sot-ip.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="trump wall natural border rivers white house immigration meeting sot ip"
data-first-publish-slug="trump wall natural border rivers white house immigration meeting sot ip"
data-video-tags="border control,donald trump,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,immigration,immigration politics,immigration, citizenship and displacement,international relations,international relations and national security,national security,political figures - us,political platforms and issues,politics,territorial and national borders,us federal government,us-mexico border wall,white house"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-01-09T23:24:28Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/09/trump-wall-natural-border-rivers-white-house-immigration-meeting-sot-ip.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="trump wall natural border rivers white house immigration meeting sot ip"
data-first-publish-slug="trump wall natural border rivers white house immigration meeting sot ip"
data-video-tags="border control,donald trump,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,immigration,immigration politics,immigration, citizenship and displacement,international relations,international relations and national security,national security,political figures - us,political platforms and issues,politics,territorial and national borders,us federal government,us-mexico border wall,white house"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-08-21T21:58:27Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/08/21/trump-manafort-sad-russian-collusion-sot-tsr-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="trump manafort sad russian collusion sot tsr vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="trump manafort sad russian collusion sot tsr vpx"
data-video-tags="donald trump,political figures - us,continents and regions,crime, law enforcement and corrections,criminal law,eastern europe,europe,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,investigations,law and legal system,paul manafort,politics,russia,russia meddling investigation,us federal government,verdicts,white house,robert mueller"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-09-05T21:49:50Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/09/05/trump-nyt-anonymous-op-ed-reaction-sot-tsr-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="trump nyt anonymous op ed reaction sot tsr vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="trump nyt anonymous op ed reaction sot tsr vpx"
data-video-tags="companies,donald trump,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,new york times co,political figures - us,us federal government,white house"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-09-06T04:00:15Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/09/06/john-dean-trump-nyt-op-ed-ctn-sot-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="john dean trump nyt op ed ctn sot vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="john dean trump nyt op ed ctn sot vpx"
data-video-tags="donald trump,political figures - us,companies,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,john dean,new york times co,us federal government,white house"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-09-04T17:02:02Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/09/04/bob-woodward-book-trump-white-house-ip-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="bob woodward book trump white house ip vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="bob woodward book trump white house ip vpx"
data-video-tags="government and public administration,government bodies and offices,us federal government,white house,arts and entertainment,basketball,donald trump,paintings,political figures - us,sports and recreation,visual arts"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-08-28T22:05:58Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/08/28/donald-trump-warns-of-violence-midterms-sot-tsr-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key="situation-room"
data-video-slug="donald trump warns of violence midterms sot tsr vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="donald trump warns of violence midterms sot tsr vpx"
data-video-tags="2018 midterm elections,donald trump,elections (by type),elections and campaigns,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,government organizations - us,midterm elections,political figures - us,political organizations,politics,us congress,us federal government,us political parties,us republican party,white house"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2018-08-23T13:53:27Z"
data-video-section="politics"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/08/23/donald-trump-fox-news-intv-impeach-somebody-great-job-economy-crash-sot-nr-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="donald trump fox news intv impeach somebody great job economy crash sot nr vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="donald trump fox news intv impeach somebody great job economy crash sot nr vpx"
data-video-tags="21st century fox,banking, finance and investments,business, economy and trade,companies,donald trump,economic conditions,economic crisis,economy and economic indicators,financial markets and investing,fox news,government and public administration,government bodies and offices,impeachment,political figures - us,political scandals,politics,scandals,securities trading,stock market crashes,stock markets,us federal government,white house"
data-details="">
"They can pay for it indirectly through NAFTA," Trump said
Trump repeatedly promised during the campaign that he would build a wall on the Southern US border
WashingtonCNN
—
President Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he is willing, if necessary, to use the NAFTA negotiations to make good on his promise for that Mexico will pay for a border wall.
The statement comes as his administration is in the midst of seeking federal funding for his long-promised border wall and also renegotiating the US’ trade deal with Canada and Mexico.
“They can pay for it indirectly through NAFTA,” Trump said Thursday in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We make a good deal on NAFTA, and, say, ‘I’m going to take a small percentage of that money and it’s going toward the wall.’ Guess what? Mexico’s paying.”
Trump’s comments came hours after he was updated by his administration’s top economic and trade advisers on the progress of those negotiations and the administration’s trade actions more broadly.
Trump repeatedly promised during the campaign that he would build a wall on the Southern US border and force Mexico to pay for it. But Trump has seen little progress on either front, with Democrats in Congress refusing to greenlight funding for Trump’s border wall and the Mexican President making clear Mexico would never fund Trump’s proposed barrier.
But Trump has also previously suggested that he would seek indirect payment from Mexico to fund the wall. His latest assertion suggested he would direct a surplus in revenue from improved trade with Mexico toward paying for the wall – though he did not lay out a mechanism for doing so.
Trump warned Thursday that if Mexico did not agree to new terms on the free trade deal, known formally as the North American Free Trade Agreement, then he would simply “terminate” the deal.
“Now, Mexico may not want to make the NAFTA deal, which is OK, then I’ll terminate NAFTA, which I think would be frankly a positive for our country,” Trump told the Journal.
Trump’s comments could also confuse the administration’s efforts to extract funding for his border wall through legislation that would protect undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children, after the President rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in the fall. Trump has signaled he would only agree to a DACA deal if it includes additional border security funding, including for a new border wall.
Still, Trump has repeatedly said he needed federal funding for the border wall – with repayment from Mexico to follow.