Donald Trump pressed forward Thursday with his new two-pronged approach to illegal immigration, using friendly rhetoric about Mexico to take some of the edge off his strict border-enforcement agenda.
"We are going to uphold the laws of the nation and defend our sovereignty and security, and we are going to defend our border,” the Republican presidential nominee told an American Legion conference in Cincinnati.
“I just came back from a wonderful meeting with the president of Mexico, where I expressed my deep respect for the people of his country, and for the tremendous contributions of Mexican Americans in our country.”
Trump’s remarks came the morning after a combative speech on illegal immigration in Phoenix. He affirmed his opposition to granting legal status to any of the estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, but left unclear whether he still favors deporting all of them.
For weeks, Trump has struggled to soften his immigration rhetoric to broaden his appeal for the general election without turning off the white blue-collar voters who backed him in the GOP primaries.
The Phoenix speech was preceded by Trump's surprise meeting in Mexico City with President Enrique Peña Nieto. On Thursday morning, Trump did not mention that Peña Nieto had contradicted his statement that the two did not discuss his pledge to force Mexico to pay for a border wall.
Peña Nieto, facing sharp criticism in Mexico for inviting Trump, said he told the Republican candidate that Mexico would not pay for the wall.
Reading from a teleprompter in Cincinnati, Trump thanked Peña Nieto “for his gracious hospitality.” Mexico and the U.S. can work together to accomplish great things for both countries,” he said.
“We agreed in the meeting on the need to stop the illegal flow of guns, drugs, cash and people across the border and to take out the cartels,” said Trump, who has previously accused Mexico of sending rapists and other criminals into the U.S.
After months of fuming over the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs as companies shift operations to Mexico, Trump was less confrontational in Cincinnati, saying he and Peña Nieto had “talked about the importance of working to keep jobs and wealth in our hemisphere.”
“A more prosperous Mexico means fewer illegal border crossings, and a better market for products made in the United States,” Trump said. “When I am president, I am going to look at every trade deal we have across the world and see what steps must be taken to protect American jobs and create new opportunities for the American worker.”