President Trump’s nonsensical claim that Mexico is paying for the wall

More than 200 times Trump promised Mexico would pay for the wall. Now he falsely says he’s keeping his promise with the revised trade agreement with Mexico. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

“I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”

— Donald Trump, in his presidential announcement speech, June 16, 2015

“What we save on the USMCA — the new trade deal we have with Mexico and Canada — what we save on that, just with Mexico, will pay for the wall many times over just in a period of a year, two years and three years. … So I view that as, absolutely, Mexico is paying for the wall.”

— Trump, remarks during a news conference, Jan. 4, 2019

Just about every president has made a campaign promise that, once elected, he discovers he cannot fulfill.

George H.W. Bush once proclaimed, “Read my lips: No new taxes.” Barack Obama pledged that he would reduce the annual cost of health-care premiums by $2,500.

Taxes went up under Bush, and so did premiums under Obama. Voters never forgot it.