New York : Business tycoon and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said the US government should “boycott” Mexico since it is a corrupt country, a media report said.
Trump, whose remarks were published on Saturday by several media outlets, cited Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s escape from Mexico’s the Altiplano I federal prison on July 11 as an example of the country’s problems.
He said the prison escape episode bolsters his message about the need to secure the border.
“We have to close our border. We have to build a wall. I can do the wall better than anybody, and that’s the story,” the business tycoon said at “The Rita Cosby Show”, which airs on WOR Radio in New York.
Mexico is a “corrupt place” with a “terrible court system”, Trump said.
“I think we should boycott Mexico, frankly. Mexico’s treating us very, very badly,” EFE news agency quoted Trump as saying.
“The people of Mexico are terrific. You know, I have great relationship with the people of Mexico,” he said “but the problem we have is the government of Mexico is outsmarting our government at every (turn), whether it’s trade or at the border”.
“And so I can’t be angry at them. I’m angry at our government for being so stupid,” Trump added.
The remarks are the latest in a series of jabs at Mexico since Trump’s June 16 campaign launch.
The billionaire real estate developer has received critical coverage from many media outlets since he kicked off his bid for the presidency by denouncing Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug smugglers – though acknowledging that some of them might be “good”.
The explosive comments prompted a number of business partners to cut ties with Trump, including Univision, ESPN and NBC television, Macy’s, Spanish celebrity chef Jose Andres and NASCAR.