Hurricane Harvey continues to pummel the east coast of Texas, where at least five people are dead as days of rain have inundated homes, businesses, and highways, cutting off access to hospitals and leaving thousands stranded. “This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced,” the National Weather Service tweeted on Sunday, as the flood waters kept rising. Also tweeting on Sunday was a perhaps inappropriately excited Donald Trump. Taking a break from a long stream of tweets heralding the size of the hurricane (“HISTORIC rainfall in Houston”) and comparing it to past disasters (“Wow - Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood!”), he naturally took a few moments to attack Mexico:

View more

The border wall, which was always one of Trump’s signature issues, has recently returned to the forefront of the president’s mind as his approval rating has tumbled. A renewed play to energize his base has also meant fresh attacks on Mexico, which Trump has once again begun demanding pay for its construction. On Sunday night, following Trump’s one-sided Twitter feud, Mexico once again reiterated that it will “under no circumstances” fund the wall, arguing that the U.S. shares responsibility for the drug war, nor will it negotiate NAFTA or “any other aspect of the bilateral relationship, through social media or any other news platform.” Not paying for the wall, Mexico reiterated, is “a principle of national sovereignty and dignity.”

The Mexican government also offered to aid relief efforts in Texas, further underscoring its position as the more adult administration. “The government of Mexico takes this opportunity to express its full solidarity with the people and government of the United States for the damages caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas,” the Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement. According to Dallas News, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke by phone while the Mexican consul general in Austin, Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, was reportedly in “constant communication with the governor’s office to determine how Mexico can best help.” Ignoring Trump’s threats, Gutierrez said in a statement that “As we have done in the past, Mexico stands with Texas in this difficult moment.”