It looks like Donald Trump and Carlos Slim are burying the hatchet.
After the two met for dinner Saturday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, the Mexican telecom billionaire reportedly left the meeting with a “very positive” impression of the president-elect. Arturo Elias, Slim’s son-in-law and spokesman, said the meal was “very cordial and with a very good vibe for Mexico.”
Now, Trump has taken to Twitter to rave about his meeting with Slim:
Yes, it is true – Carlos Slim, the great businessman from Mexico, called me about getting together for a meeting. We met, HE IS A GREAT GUY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2016
The positive relationship between the two billionaires is a marked change from their previously contentious relationship. During the Presidential campaign, Slim was critical of Trump’s proposed policies with regard to Mexico, which include his promise to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and scrap a free trade deal.
Trump and Slim have also had a tense personal history. As the then-Republican nominee faced accusations of sexual harassment and assault, Trump accused Slim of conspiring with Hillary Clinton’s campaign to create negative stories in the media.
“These attacks are orchestrated by the Clintons and their media allies. The only thing Hillary Clinton has going for herself is the press,” he said at a rally in October. “What they say is false and slanderous in virtually every respect.”
The Slim family is the largest individual shareholder of the parent company of the New York Times, with about 17% of its Class A shares. Companies controlled by Slim also lent the New York Times Co. (NYTAB) $250 million in 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Slim, the Clintons and the Times all denied Trump’s accusations of a media-fueled conspiracy.
Their animosity goes back as far as June 2015, when a television company controlled by Slim nixed a project with Trump after the then-Republican primary candidate made public comments suggesting Mexican immigrants were rapists and drug smugglers. Slim’s spokesperson called the comments racist at the time.
