Madrid (AFP) – Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu condemned Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto for meeting US presidential candidate Donald Trump, branding it a “betrayal” in an article published Friday.
The billionaire real estate tycoon, who has made repeated verbal attacks on Mexico, met Pena Nieto in Mexico City on Wednesday at the invitation of the Mexican president.
“Enrique Pena Nieto’s invitation to Donald Trump is a betrayal,” wrote Inarritu, who won the Oscar for best director in February for his drama “The Revenant”.
“It endorses someone who has insulted us, spat on us and threatened us for over a year before the entire world. It lacks dignity and emboldens a hate campaign against us,” he wrote in an opinion article in Spanish daily El Pais.
Trump launched his campaign last year by declaring that Mexico was sending “rapists” and other criminals across the border.
The Republican nominee has threatened to make Mexico pay for a wall on the border to stop migrants from entering the United States illegally.
He has also vowed to deport millions of Mexican immigrants illegally living in the United States, and cancel trade agreements with Mexico.
Pena Nieto has faced a barrage of criticism over his decision to hold talks with Trump, with many accusing him of weakness and humiliation.
He defended his meeting, saying in a television interview on Wednesday that “we must confront the problems, threats and risks facing Mexico.”
Inarritu is the first filmmaker to win best director Oscars twice in a row.
He won the Academy Award last year for “Birdman,” which also scooped up the best picture Oscar.
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