David Jackson

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama dismissed Donald Trump's criticism of conditions in the United States on Friday, saying crime is actually down, the economy is up, and most Americans believe things are going relatively well.

“This idea that America is somehow on the verge of collapse — this vision of violence and chaos everywhere — doesn’t really jibe with the experience of most people,” Obama told reporters the day after Trump painted a dark picture of the United States in formally accepting the Republican presidential nomination.

"We're not going to make good decisions based on fears that don't have a basis in fact," Obama later said as he repeatedly weighed in on the race to be his successor. "That, I think, is something that I hope all Americans pay attention to."

The president, who will speak at next week's Democratic convention on behalf of party candidate Hillary Clinton, said he would "let let the American people judge" how well Trump and the Republicans made their case at this week's GOP conclave.

Obama spoke at a joint news conference with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, a meeting that invited questions about the Republican candidate who has criticized Mexican trade policies, accused it of sending "rapists" to the United States, and proposed an anti-migrant wall along the U.S. southern border.

Nieto — who in the past has likened Trump's rhetoric to Hitler or Mussolini — declined to discuss the U.S. presidential race on Friday, saying he respect both Trump and Clinton. Nieto said Mexico will work with the election winner in a "constructive manner" after November.

"The Mexican government will be observing with great interest the electoral process of this country," Nieto said, "but it will not give its opinion — it will not get involved in said process."

Obama, citing the "heated rhetoric" from Trump about immigration and trade with Mexico, said the United States "values tremendously" the relationship with its southern neighbor, and that both countries benefit from it.

"Mexico is a critical partner and is critically important to our own well-being," he said.

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Throughout his campaign, Trump has listed Mexico as among those countries that have "stolen" jobs from the United States via free trade agreements. The New York businessman also says Mexico migrants undercut U.S. wages by taking American jobs.

In his speech accepting the GOP presidential nomination, Trump blamed the Obama administration — and Clinton, the former secretary of State — for problems ranging from crime and attacks on police to "bad" trade deals and Islamic State terrorism.

Their convention took place "at a moment of crisis for our nation," the nominee told Republican delegates.

The country is wracked by high crime rates and an economy in which too many people have given up looking for work, Trump said. He accused the government of selling out citizens through self-dealing and bad trade deals with other countries, including Mexico.

"Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it," Trump said.

In a reference to Mexico, Trump said that "we are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities!"

In his White House news conference, Obama said Trump mangled crime statistics, and that the nation is much safer than it has been in years past. He said the Republican nominee ignored the benefits of immigration and free trade, and that training programs are in place to help U.S. workers.

Obama also took another shot at Trump in saying that the globalized economy is a fact of life, and the United States must deal with it.

"We're not going to be able to build a wall around that," Obama said.

Contributing: Fernanda Crescente

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