Trump proposes a tariff on goods imported from Mexico to the United States, the proceeds of which could offset the cost of the wall and therefore allow Trump to claim, in a roundabout way, that Mexico is footing the bill while also sparing Peña Nieto the indignity of a direct payment. “It will come out in the wash, and that is okay,” Trump says.

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“Believe it or not, this is the least important thing that we are talking about, but politically this might be the most important,” he adds.

That's not exactly what Trump ran on, but his supporters aren't likely to feel betrayed — if they read Breitbart.

In Breitbart's version of the call, Trump “shows an indefatigable commitment to his 'Make America Great Again' agenda — which included toughness on immigration, crime, trade, and the border wall. His unwillingness to accept bad deals for the American people will both reassure and further endear him to those that put him in the White House in the first place.”

Breitbart's message to Trump voters — that they ought to be heartened by the transcript — is essentially the opposite of what The Fix's Aaron Blake wrote:

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You hear that, Trump supporters? That applause line that Trump used with such gusto for basically his entire campaign — “Build that wall,” and “Who's going to pay for it? (Crowd response: MEXICO!)"? It was all vote-bait, red meat for voters who didn't know that it was completely impractical and would never happen. And within his first days in office — this call took place on Jan. 27, a week after Trump's inauguration — Trump was already throwing in the towel on it on a call with the Mexican president.

If you don't follow Breitbart's coverage closely, you might assume that its spin on the transcript was a foregone conclusion. But as I wrote last month, the site actually has attempted to hold Trump accountable, from the right, on certain campaign promises — particularly those related to immigration.

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In one memorable episode, in May, Breitbart's White House correspondent, Charlie Spiering, challenged then-press secretary Sean Spicer to explain Trump’s failure to secure funding in this year’s budget for the wall. Spicer pointed to a short-term project that will replace about 40 miles of fencing with steel bollards or other barriers.

“So that’s the wall the president promised?” Spiering shot back, as part of a tense exchange.

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Trump could not necessarily take for granted that Breitbart would defend his remarks to Peña Nieto. But it has. That is an important victory for the president — and a sign that he still can get away with more than his fellow Republicans.

Kurt Bardella, a GOP strategist and former Breitbart spokesman, told me that “if any other Republican on the planet had said the border wall is 'the least important thing we are talking about' and admitted outright that it was just a political play — on a call with the president of Mexico, no less — Breitbart would declare all-out war against that person.”

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