The Note: Trump Crosses the Border to Mexico

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August 31, 2016

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Trump Crosses the Border to Mexico

Trump Makes Surprise Visit to Mexico Today

Donald Trump says he has accepted an invitation from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to meet with him Wednesday. "I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump tweeted Tuesday night. The Republican nominee will be joined on the trip by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senator Jeff Sessions, the campaign said Tuesday. The office of the Mexican president confirmed the meeting, tweeting that Trump had accepted the invitation, and the president looked forward to Wednesday's meeting, ABC's JOHN SANTUCCI and DAVID CAPLAN report. http://abcn.ws/2bAuqpO

What the Clinton Campaign is Saying

From Clinton's Communications Director, Jennifer Palmieri: "From the first days of his campaign, Donald Trump has painted Mexicans as "rapists" and criminals and has promised to deport 16 million people, including children and U.S. citizens. He has said we should force Mexico to pay for his giant border wall. He has said we should ban remittances to families in Mexico if Mexico doesn't pay up. What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions."

What to Expect From Trump's 'Major' Immigration Speech

Donald Trump is going to be back out on the campaign trail today with his long-awaited speech that is slated to unveil the newest version of his immigration plan, ABC's MEGHAN KENEALLY writes. The speech comes after Trump and his campaign staff differed when describing portions of his policy relating to immigration, indicating that there might be changes from what he has previously mentioned on the trail. The biggest change to Trump's immigration stance seems to center around the previously planned deportation force that would have been dedicated to removing people who now live in the United States but originally arrived illegally. In recent weeks, Trump has appeared to be wavering on what to do with some longstanding residents who have families and jobs and no criminal history. Trump's communications director Jason Miller previewed the speech on Tuesday on Fox News, saying that "nothing's changed with Mr. Trump's stance." http://abcn.ws/2bFvA0m

Analysis -- ABC's RICK KLEIN

Welcome to the most important day of Donald Trump's campaign, at least going back to his convention. Twenty-four hours from now, Trump will (presumably) have a revised and revamped immigration policy. He will also have made a foreign trip to visit the government he's tangled most with publicly. He's seeking to look and act presidential, to signal that he's listening, trying, and evolving. At least in theory, it's a sort of real-time display of the management approach he's looking to bring to the nation's highest office. It all comes at a moment of vulnerability for Hillary Clinton – see those new poll numbers that show trust in her eroding - that she's chosen to spend almost exclusively with donors. If Trump needs a reset race before Labor Day, he's doing what he can to get it. The master of optics and television imagery is getting some potentially valuable takeaways from the last day of August.