Transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia - Washington Post

The Washington Post has obtained transcripts of two conversations President Trump had with foreign leaders: one with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and another with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: Transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia - Washington Post

The transcripts include annotations to help readers understand what is happening.

---

Highlights - Mexico

1. Trump threatens potential tariffs on Mexican goods. 
2. Trump vows to help fight the “tough hombres” driving the Mexican drug trade. 
3. Trump seems to acknowledge that his threats to make Mexico pay had left him cornered politically. 
4. Trump asks that they avoid publicly disagreeing over how the wall will be funded. 
5. Trump describes the wall as “the least important thing we are talking about.” 
6. Trump tells Peña Nieto to stop saying publicly that his government would never pay for the wall. 

A couple of comments on the comments: 

• Peña Nieto may make a habit of speaking Spanish in formal situations, in spite of having an excellent grasp of English, but it would be a mistake to assume this stems from any sense of insecurity. It gives him a distinct advantage in that it gives him more time to observe the other's reactions and choose his next move.
• Trump's insistence on using Peña Nieto's forename in a formal meeting between heads of state is not merely ignorant and rude; it shows that he thinks he can treat sensitive international negotiations the way a salesman would try to soft soap someone into signing a contract.

The rest more or less speaks for itself. Trump alternates between flannel and empty boasts about the election. It's entertaining and eye-opening at the same time. The man clearly believes he's been put at the head of some mafia-like organisation; his contempt for his electorate is rivalled only by his contempt for the truth.

---

Highlights - Australia 

1. Trump tells Turnbull that accepting the refugees “will make us look awfully bad.” 
2. Turnbull tries to explain to Trump that the refugee deal is consistent with the travel ban 
3. Turnbull tells Trump that the deal is “really, really important” to Australia. 
4. Trump says the refugee deal is “going to kill me.” 
5. Trump calls the agreement a “stupid deal” that will make him “look terrible.” 
6. Trump tells Turnbull “I have had it” and ends the call.

The two are birds of a feather and they still can't work anything out.