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U.S. President Donald Trump claimed this Saturday that Mexico has paid for the cost of the border wall built during his two terms "many times over" thanks to the tariffs that Washington has imposed on the neighboring country.
“Mexico did pay for that wall—to be clear—because I imposed tariffs on them and charged them costs like they had never paid before in their entire history,” the president said during a campaign rally held this Saturday in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
During his speech, the president defended his trade policy and touted the construction of the barrier, stating that the revenue obtained through the levies far exceeds the cost of the project.
“Mexico has paid for that wall many, many times,” he stressed, responding to the criticisms he faced during his first campaign, when he promised that the neighboring country would pay for the construction of the fence.
The Republican president lashed out at journalists, whom he accused of leaking fake news, for questioning who had paid for the wall.
Trump claimed that more than 3,200 kilometers of border wall have been built, but that figure has been called into question.
According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), by early 2020, 727 kilometers of the so-called "new border wall system" had been built.
However, that figure included reconstruction and reinforcement projects, some of which had already been ordered by the administration of former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) and continued during the administration of Joe Biden (2021-2025).
Trump has relied on his anti-immigrant rhetoric during his campaign tour ahead of the elections on November 3, in which control of the U.S. Congress is at stake.
For this reason, he also asserted that under his current term, no immigrant has entered across the border, and he highlighted his deportation campaign.
However, the issue of immigration is no longer one of the voters' main concerns.
According to the most recent Fox News poll, six out of ten voters point to the cost of living as their top economic concern, ahead of government spending (15%), jobs and income inequality (7% each), tariffs (6%), and taxes (5%).
The majority rate the economy negatively (74%) and expect it to worsen next year (53%), while two-thirds are dissatisfied with the direction of the country (66%).
Adding to this, Trump is facing his lowest approval rating on inflation management: only 22% approve of his performance in this area, which sets a new low.
[Publicidad]