Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday said U.S. President Donald Trump had drastically changed his attitude towards the Mexicans. 

(Photo : Reutersconnect)
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and U.S. President Donald Trump make joint statements in the White House Cross Hall before holding a working dinner together at the White House in Washington, U.S.

Trump's political campaign has had on public opinion of immigrants, particularly Mexicans. He mocked Mexicans and even called them "drug runners" and "rapists." This upset many Mexicans, especially those who live in Mexico.

But during Lopez Obrador's visit, the Mexican president said Trump's attitude towards the Mexicans has drastically changed. 

The meeting between the two presidents on Wednesday was the first since Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018, according to a published report by Reuters.

Lopez Obrador praised Trump for showing "kindness and respect" toward Mexicans. However, this drew anger from the president's critics in Mexico.

In Lopez Obrador's interview with the television network Telemundo he said Trump had made negative rhetorics against the Mexicans in the past, but this time he is seeing a different Trump. 

The Mexican leader said Trump "has completely changed his rhetoric." He stressed that Trump has treated him as a friend and not as a distant neighbor. 

Trump has been very vocal in the past against the Mexicans, especially to those who are illegally crossing the borders between the United States and Mexico.

In fact, the Trump's administration has invested billions to construct the state-of-the-art wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, which is equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. 

Trump has also made an order to the border patrol officers to frequently check the border cities. He also requested the Mexican government to send Mexican border patrol officers to help them crack down illegal border crossings.

Aside from that, the Trump's administration also changed the immigration policy last year, which makes it harder for the asylum-seeker and immigration applicants to stay in the U.S. 

Recently, another immigration executive order was signed by Trump that restricts certain visas for foreign workers to prioritize Americans in getting jobs as the country slowly reopen its economy. 

During his campaign in 2018, Lopez Obrador assailed Trump's "politics of hate" and signature border wall project and likened the latter's anti-Mexican tirades to Adolf Hitler's attacks on Jewish people.

Lopez Obrador took office in late 2018 and after several months, Trump said he would put tariffs on all Mexican goods if Lopez Obrador could not crack down illegal immigration into the U.S.

The Mexican President's friendly remarks toward Trump has troubled some members of the Democrats. For them, Trump exploited his meeting with Lopez Obrador to court the Mexican-American voters in the country.

Many critics of Trump in Mexico are doubtful that he will remain friendly all the way to the election and even after the election if he wins.

But if Trump was indeed true to his actions, it would be a good sign for the two countries, who have long been troubled by immigration and illegal drug trafficking. The two countries could work hand-in-hand to crack down on the problems.  

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