Donald Trump said he would be willing to start a trade war with Mexico in order to make the country pay for the wall along the US/Mexico border.
Thursday during the CNN Republican debate, Trump said, “Mexico will pay for [the wall], because they’re not doing us any favors. They could stop all of this illegal trade if they wanted to, immediately. Mexico will pay for the wall. It’s a small portion of the kind of money that we lose and the deficits that we have with Mexico.” (RELATED: Former Mexican President: I’m Not Going To Pay For Trump’s ‘F**king Wall’ [VIDEO])
Moderator Wolf Blitzer asked Trump about former president of Mexico Vicente Fox’s claim, “I’m not going to pay for that, quote, fucking wall.” And Trump said, “[T]he wall just got 10 feet taller, believe me. It just got 10 feet taller.”
“I saw him make the statement. I saw him use the word that he used. I can only tell you, if I would have used even half of that word, it would have been national scandal. This guy used a filthy, disgusting word on television and he should be ashamed of himself and he should apologize,” Trump said.
“Number two, we have a trade deficit with Mexico of $58 billion a year. And that doesn’t include all the drugs that are pouring across and destroying our country. We’re going to make them pay for that wall. Now, the wall is $10 billion to $12 billion, if I do it. If these guys do it, it will end up costing $200 billion. But the wall is $10 billion to $12 billion,” Trump said.
“You need a thousand miles. The Great Wall of China, built 2,000 years ago, 2,000, is 13,000 miles. We need a thousand, because we have a lot of natural barriers. We can do it for 10 to 12, and this is a real wall. This is a wall that’s a heck of a lot higher than the ceiling you’re looking at. This is a wall that’s going to work,” Trump insisted.
Blizter followed up, “If the Mexicans don’t pay for the wall, will you start a trade war with Mexico?
Trump replied, “Well you know, I don’t mind trade wars when we’re losing $58 billion a year, you want to know the truth. We’re losing so much.”
