Promises Made, Promises Kept.

That’s the 2020 Trump campaign slogan already emblazoned on Trump rally placards. But one of the biggest promises made during Trump’s 2016 successful run for office was not just “Build that wall!” but also that Mexico would be paying for said wall.

Fact check: nearly two years into the Trump administration, neither the wall has been built, nor is there any indication that Mexico will be paying for a wall (that may never even be built.)

Doesn’t matter. In a recent tweet President Donald Trump is claiming that his renegotiated NAFTA deal with Mexico is saving the United States so much money that…well, read the tweet:

I often stated, “One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.” This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

Reasonable people may note that Trump’s repeated claim that Mexico would pay for the border wall did not include any qualifiers or asterisk that led to a deeper explanation. And Trump’s “Build that Wall” chanting base are sure to follow Trump’s lead, especially when it is amplified by Trump-friendly cable news programming who are certain to amplify this talking point, however dumb it might be.

Side note: “New NAFTA” is a much easier label for Trump’s new trade deal than his USMCA, which isn’t happening. Can we all agree on New NAFTA?

Thanks. Good chat.

[Photo credit: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images]

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