No president wakes up thinking 'how am I going to screw over Mexico?': Peña Nieto

During a speech at the 2016 Driving Mexico (Impulsando a México) forum, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto passionately said that no president has ever woken up thinking “how am I going to screw over the country,” but do wake up thinking about how to make things better and move forward.

Peña Nieto urged citizens to hold Mexico in higher regard. “I'm not asking people to speak highly of the government; everyone is entitled to their own opinion about the government, how it's performing or if we've kept our promises or not,” he said.

He stressed that he has his own convictions about his performance. “I've said this before and I'll say it again: I never fall into the trap of complacency. I'm the first to acknlowledge my own shortcomings, errors, mistakes, but I also think I have the right to recognize the advances and achievements we've made,” he said.

He emphasized that at the end of the day, his “only” role “is to make Mexico a better place.”

Peña Nieto also said that whatever citizens' opinion about the President and the government may be, they should hold Mexico in higher regard.

He concluded by saying that the country is on the right path, and urged citizens to focus on the country's positives, not its negatives, as a way to move forward. “What we say about our own home, this grand home that we call Mexico, does matter,” he concluded.