Trump says he 'absolutely' still wants Mexico to pay for wall
The president also referred to Peña Nieto as a "friend"
— -- President Trump revisited an issue that has been a mainstay for him since the campaign trail, saying he "absolutely" still wants Mexico to pay for a wall on the southern border on the U.S.
Trump's remarks at the G-20 summit during his meeting with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto are the latest from the president on the project, a campaign hallmark that was met with both lavish praise and derision.
Trump's promise for a wall across the border has seen many iterations since he first introduced the concept and questions have arisen about how the project would be funded.
"Absolutely," Trump said under his breath in response to a reporter's question of whether he still wants Mexico to pay for a southern border wall.
The president then flashed a smile in the direction of the U.S. delegation accompanying him the meeting, which includes Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnunchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
The president, referring to Peña Nieto as a "friend," said that it's been a "very interesting" day at the G-20 Summit and signaled that the U.S. and Mexico are making progress in re-negotiating NAFTA.
"We're negotiating NAFTA and some other things with Mexico, and we'll see how it all turns out. But I think we made very good progress," Trump said.
The meeting comes following Peña Nieto canceling a meeting with Trump that had been planned for this past February.
The Mexican leader decided to cancel after Trump signed an executive order that called for plans to be drawn up to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and expressing his desire to have Mexico to pay for the wall.