A new book by a controversial author details how, in 2018 and 2019, the Trump administration successfully pressured Mexico into acquiescing to its demands to reduce illegal immigration.
The revelations are among anecdotes to be found in “Breaking History: A White House Memoir,” penned by former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, scheduled for release later this month.
In the 497-page tome, parts of which were allegedly leaked to the Saudi Arabia media, Ivanka Trump’s husband explains how Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard was told by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that if the Mexican government took steps to contain illegal crossings, they would “have an amazing partner (in Trump) who will help them with whatever priority they have.”
Kushner said he made a 12-hour trip to Mexico City to deliver the message personally to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, warning him that “if Mexico did not act immediately to reduce illegal border crossings, all bets were off, including T-MEC (the revamped free trade agreement).” Meanwhile, Trump announced that he would slap Mexico with trade tariffs if AMLO did nothing to stem illegal migration
Ebrard subsequently traveled to Washington to assure Kushner and Pompeo that Mexico was prepared to deploy 25,000 troops to contain the flow of migrants toward its northern border.
“Your trick worked,” Kushner said he told Trump. “Mexico will bend,” he states in his memoir.
The “deal” kicked off a period of friendly relations between the two presidents, who, while ideologically incompatible, share many of the same character traits, not least of which is the tendency to lash out at the slightest criticism, especially if it comes from the media.