President López Obrador visits the Lincoln Memorial and Benito Juárez’s statue

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador begun his trip to the United States, his first foreign trip as president, by visiting the Lincoln Memorial and the statue of Benito Juárez, a former president and national hero in Mexico.

The two presidents will discuss the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ( USMCA ) that replaced NAFTA, a trade agreement Trump said was a bad deal and could give him an opening to bash former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for voting in favor of the old North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA is blamed for prompting U.S. companies to shift manufacturing to Mexico, where labor costs were lower.

Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow said López Obrador and Trump will sign a joint declaration of friendship and cooperation. He said the USMCA is going to boost automobile and other manufacturing, agriculture, dairy farmers, and cattle ranchers.

“As the three countries respect this deal then you’re gonna have an explosion of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, and new innovation in North America,” Kudlow said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.” “One percentage point of GDP as this thing gets going per year — a couple hundred thousand jobs.

I don’t know why people don’t pay more attention to it. You know, we’re looking for growth following the pandemic.”

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Although this is not a state visit, López Obrador will be treated to a special dinner at the White House attended by business leaders from both nations.

With the U.S. looking to reduce its supply chain in China, Mexico is well-positioned to step into the void, senior administration officials told reporters on a call outlining the visit. Cooperation between the two countries allowed the flow of goods to continue across the U.S.-Mexico border despite shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, they said on the condition of anonymity to discuss the visit.

Visiting the Lincoln Memorial & Benito Juárez’s statue 

Earlier today, the Mexican President laid a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial. Later, he headed to Benito Juárez’s statue, where he laid a wreath and sang Mexico’s national anthem.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard; Economy Minister Graciela Márquez Colín; Alfonso Romo Garza; ambassador Martha Bárcena; and U.S. ambassador Christopher Landau accompanied the President during both events.

During the event, López Obrador’s supporters were present to show their support for the Mexican President, although others who disapprove of his government were also present.

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Why is there a statue of Benito Juárez in Washington?

In 1966, then-President Lyndon Johnson visited Mexico City to gift Mexicans a statue of Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. President who ended slavery. The statue was placed at the Lincoln Park in Polanco.

Lincoln has always been a popular figure in Mexico because he opposed the U.S. intervention in Mexico when he was a legislator and opposed the French intervention in Mexico when he was President.

In response to Lyndon Johnson’s gesture, the Mexican government gifted the U.S. with a statue of Benito Juárez. The Mexican President’s statue was unveiled on January 7, 1969.

Benito Juárez’s statue is accompanied by his famous quote: “Respect for the rights of others is peace.”

López Obrador’s visit drew criticism

After saying Mexico will pay the border wall, threatening to end DACA, and accusing Mexican migrants of being rapists and criminals, Donald Trump became wildly unpopular in Mexico.

The Mexican President was criticized for visiting Trump a few months before the U.S. elections, although he argues the visit is meant to commemorate the implementation of the USMCA and to thank the U.S. for taking additional oil cuts and for selling ventilators to Mexico amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite Trump’s comments on Mexico, López Obrador has had a surprisingly warm relationship with Trump. Both presidents talk about a blossoming friendship and often compliment each other.

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