As told to THINK editor Meredith Bennett-Smith, edited and condensed for clarity.

America is great. It's always been great — we don’t need to “make it great again”. I actually think that it’s always going to be great. But I want to emphasize that America could be greater if it sees itself as more than just the United States, if it sees itself as a part of a larger America. All all of us together — Canada, the United States and Mexico, The North American continent — could be the strongest, most competitive region in the world and the largest consumer market in the world.

But not with President Donald Trump.

The first day Trump spoke about Mexico and Mexicans, I felt very, very bad. Mexico doesn't deserve these insults, we don't deserve all the qualifications and the adjectives that he has used to describe us. Calling us criminals. Calling us rapists.

In 2016, Trump offended 120 million Mexicans. And as a representative of Mexico, I’m here to make it clear that the real Mexico is different. We are still one of the largest economies in the world. We are a solid nation with a solid future. Mexico is a reliable partner to United States.

Crime in Mexico is high, this is true. It is also high in the United States. But we will never fix this problem if the United States doesn’t acknowledge that it is the highest consumer of drugs. I actually believe that similarly with alcohol and tobacco, the way forward is to legalize drugs and regulate the drug market — this is the best solution to the crime and violence we are seeing now. Take away the money from the cartels. Put that money in the hands of well-run governments so that we can use it to help build a better world: more science, more medicine, more technology, more innovation, better infrastructure, more schools, a better way of life for everyone.