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WASHINGTON
— Donald Trump was not at the "Three Amigos" summit of North American
leaders, but he cast a long shadow over the conference Wednesday as the
leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico took turns …
Gregory Korte, USA TODAY The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico took turns rebutting the Republican presidential candidate's proposals on trade and immigration. As they met in Ottawa, Trump was 340 miles away in Bangor, Maine, promising to build a wall at the Mexican border and get the United States out of the North American Free Trade Agreement that forms the basis of economic cooperation among the three countries.
In what he himself acknowledged as a press conference-ending "rant," President Obama took a whack at Trump's populist credentials, painting the billionaire real estate mogul as part of the global elite.
"Now somebody else who has never shown any regard for workers, who has never fought on behalf of social justice issues," Obama said, "they don’t suddenly become a populist because they say something controversial in order to win votes. That's not the measure of populism. That's nativism or xenophobia or worse. Or it’s just cynicism."
In a three-way press conference in Ottawa, reporters from all three countries asked questions about Trump to all three leaders, who each echoed a common theme: Increased trade and integration is good for all three countries.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto repeated his comparing anti-global ideologies with that of 20th century dictators, and urged peoples not to "choose the road toward isolationism and destruction."
"In the past, some leaders addressed their society in those terms," he said in Spanish. "Hitler and Mussolini did that and the outcome is clear: It resulted in devastation, and it turned out to be a tragedy for mankind."
In the context of an international summit, all three leaders were careful not to engage too directly in U.S. politics. Both Trudeau and Pena Neito gave diplomatic assurances that they would work with whoever U.S. voters elected. And even Obama tried to help them off the hook, noting that he'd demur too in their position.
"When I visit other countries, it’s not my job to comment on candidates in the middle of a race, because they might end up winning," he said. "There's times when I visit other countries that I've got preferences, but I rarely express them."
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