Trump and Mexico’s richest man meet for ‘lovely dinner’ at Mar-a-Lago resort

News of the encounter came as a surprise, as Trump had described Mexicans as rapists and promised to build a border wall and deport millions of migrants. He also appears to have had an unhappy history in his attempts at doing business south of the border.

He doesnt seem to have any good Mexican buddies, said Federico Estvez, political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. The only Mexicans he knows he hates like Slim.

Slim has not spoken on the Trump meeting, but had softened his tone since the election, telling a business forum, If the United States grows 4%, increases infrastructure and lowers taxes, that is good.

Other suspected self-interest from a man whose business empire is so expansive in Mexico, its joked that Mexicans cant help but put money in Slim wallet as they go about their daily lives.

As patriotic as Slim may be, hes interested foremost in his business. So he could be meeting Trump to ensure that nothing happens to all his dealings in the US, said Esteban Illades, editor of the Mexican magazine Nexos.

Slim probably noticed that the Mexican government isnt doing enough, so hes taking diplomacy into his own hands.

The Mexican peso has plummeted since Trump announced his presidential aspirations and forecasts have slashed 2017 growth projections. The federal government and central bank, meanwhile, say they have plans to confront Trump, though few proposals have been announced. Many Mexicans seem to be betting that Trump will soften his positions prior to taking office.

Theyre still expecting him to smooth over the message … once he has to govern, he will act and think differently from when he was campaigning, Estvez said.

They firmly believe that piece of establishment nonsense, even though he has shown no evidence of it thus far.

Past attempts at talking with Trump have proved problematic for Mexicos president Enrique Pea Nieto.

Pea Nieto invited Trump to the presidential palace in Mexico City in late August an ill-fated meeting in which Mexicans complained their leader acted passively in the presence of a person they considered a bully and the biggest threat to the country since the authors of the Mexican-American war of the 1840s.

The [Pea Nieto] government has not known how to deal with Trump from the start, said Javier Garza, a journalist and political analyst in the city of Torren. Its not clear that Trump will soften his message on Mexico. What is clear is that Trump seems inclined to use businessmen instead of politicians or diplomats as his channels with Mexico.