Off to Mexico to meet its leader, Trump says

“A candidate who’s on the up and up has no problem giving you the facts,” Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine said Tuesday in Erie, Pa., as he criticized Republican Donald Trump.
“A candidate who’s on the up and up has no problem giving you the facts,” Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine said Tuesday in Erie, Pa., as he criticized Republican Donald Trump.

EVERETT, Wash. -- Donald Trump plans to travel to Mexico today to meet with that country's president just hours before he's to deliver his anticipated speech on immigration.


RELATED ARTICLES

http://www.arkansas…">Agency: Clinton emails on Benghazi found http://www.arkansas…">Foundation shapes Clinton legacy

photo

AP/The Daily Citizen

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence speaks Tuesday in Dalton, Ga. Pence also campaigned in North Carolina, with harsh criticism for Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama.

The GOP presidential nominee said on Twitter that he looks "very much forward" to meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto. The Mexican leader had invited Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to visit Mexico.

Pena Nieto's office said in its own tweet that the two men will meet in private.

Announcement of the trip came as a surprise to many. It comes as Trump seeks to clarify his stand on illegal immigration, a contentious issue that has been a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. Trump has long called for deporting people who currently live in the U.S. illegally and for building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

But in meetings recently with Hispanic supporters, Trump has suggested that he could be open to changing the hard-line approach he outlined during the GOP primaries. After one roundtable this month, his new campaign manager said Trump's stance on deportations was "to be determined."

In the days since, Trump and his staff have broadcast varied and conflicting messages on immigration, with Trump saying one day that he might be open to "softening" his stance, and days later saying he might, in fact, be "hardening."

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's original immigration policy, particularly the Republican's insistence that Mexico pay for the border wall. In a March interview, Pena Nieto said "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so.

Trump is to speak on immigration this evening in Phoenix. He was already out West on Tuesday for a campaign stop near Seattle, giving him enough time to jet to Mexico before tonight's speech.

Trump's short stop in Mexico would mark his second visit to a foreign country during his campaign. Earlier this summer, Trump traveled to Scotland to attend the re-opening of one of his golf resorts, but he didn't meet with any U.K. political leaders while there.The Republican has faced a torrent of criticism from Clinton, a former secretary of state, about his preparedness to lead on the world stage.

Clinton's campaign has urged voters to not "be fooled" by what it calls Trump's attempts to disguise his immigration policies.

"Donald Trump will be who he has always been: Donald Trump," the campaign said in an email Tuesday night.

Earlier in the day, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine used similar words, offering a takedown of Trump's business dealings and campaign claims.

Kaine argued that the Republican's presidential campaign amounts to nothing more than "Trump's next big con."

"Donald Trump, thus far, has utterly failed to answer basic questions that Americans voters have a right to know," Kaine said to a crowd in Erie, Pa., his first public stop in several days.

Kaine said Trump isn't being truthful or open about his financial dealings, taxes, ties to foreign governments and even his medical records. He also suggested that Trump would not stop Russian aggression toward Europe.

On Russia, Kaine said Trump has a troubling history of hiring and seeking advice from people who offer favorable views of President Vladimir Putin's administration. He said Trump's failure to release his tax returns makes his financial ties to that country unclear.

Trump has praised Putin on several occasions as a strong leader, and his former campaign manager Paul Manafort resigned over financial ties to Russian allies.

All of this, Kaine said, means Trump would not defend U.S. allies against Russian advances or stop Russian cyberattacks aimed at destabilizing U.S. elections. Even as he made such allegations, Kaine maintained his folksy demeanor, eliciting laughs from the crowd.

"This guy has a weird sense of humor encouraging Russian cyberattacks against the American political process," Kaine said, referring to Trump's call for Russia to find Clinton's missing emails, a remark the businessman later said was a joke. "Well, that's just a laugh riot, isn't it?" Kaine said.

Trump on the issues

The announcement of Trump's visit to Mexico came ahead of his planned speech today in which he is expected to clarify his stance on illegal aliens in the U.S.

For more than a week now, Trump has appeared to wrestle with one of his signature proposals, a pledge to expel everyone living in the U.S. illegally with the help of a "deportation force."

At a Fox News town-hall meeting taping last week, in the face of pressing questions, the GOP nominee polled the audience at length on the fate of the estimated 11 million people.

To date, Trump's campaign has posted seven policy proposals on his website, totaling just more than 9,000 words. There are 38 on Clinton's "issues" page, ranging from efforts to cure Alzheimer's disease to Wall Street and criminal justice policy, and her campaign boasts that it has now released 65 policy fact sheets, totaling 112,735 words.

Trump's new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, has said she's pushing her boss to get more specific.

Trump's supporters say questions about his recent inconsistencies on the deportation question are overblown. His running mate, Mike Pence, describes him as "a CEO at work" as he consults with various stakeholders.

"You see someone who is engaging the American people, listening to the American people," Pence told CNN on Sunday. "He is hearing from all sides."

On Tuesday, Pence was in North Carolina, lashing out at Clinton at a campaign rally in Winston-Salem over her email controversies, the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi and her dealings with donors to the Clinton Foundation, all while she was secretary of state.

Pence also criticized President Barack Obama, saying the country's influence in the world has weakened under his and Clinton's leadership.

For her part, Clinton on Tuesday wrapped up a fundraising blitz in New York, where she has amassed millions during a three-day swing through the Hamptons.

The Democrat hopped from mansion to mansion in the oceanfront vacation destination, appearing at parties and dinners where the contributions ranged from $1,000 to $100,000 for guests and hosts. The top-dollar tour concluded Tuesday night with an event in Sag Harbor complete with performances by Jimmy Buffett, Jon Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney.

McCartney joked with the crowd, according to fundraiser guests, saying that this was "the first time I've paid to hear myself sing."

The events all raised money for the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fund supporting her campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state party organizations.

Clinton is to head to Ohio today where she will speak at the American Legion's annual convention in Cincinnati.

Sanders supports 4

In a show of unity for the Democratic Party after its drawn-out presidential primary, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is to return to the campaign trail next week and already is asking his supporters to start putting their money into four Senate campaigns.

In an email sent this week, Sanders encouraged donations to help Pennsylvania's Katie McGinty, New Hampshire's Maggie Hassan, Ohio's Ted Strickland and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto.

"I want to be clear: It is very important that our movement holds public officials accountable," Sanders wrote in a message to his Friends of Bernie email list. "The Democratic Party passed an extremely progressive agenda at the convention. Our job is to make sure that platform is implemented. That will not happen without Democratic control of the Senate."

Sanders also has endorsed Wisconsin's Russ Feingold in a comeback to the U.S. Senate.

In the email, Sanders offers a reason to back each newly endorsed candidate. McGinty "was one of the first candidates to endorse a $15 minimum wage," while Hassan has been "a strong supporter of campaign finance reform."

After this week, Sanders is to appear for Democratic candidates in person. That will represent the first rallies by the senator in support of down-ballot candidates since June 25, when he barnstormed western New York to help Eric Kingson in his bid for Congress. Kingson finished second in the three-way primary.

Information for this article was contributed by Kathleen Ronayne, Jill Colvin, Catherine Lucey and Julie Pace of The Associated Press and by David Weigel of The Washington Post.

A Section on 08/31/2016

Upcoming Events