By now we all know the declarations Trump has made regarding Mexico: from immigrants to the NAFTA agreement, it is clear that Trump's presidency will bring about a tide of changes on the current relationship between Mexico and the US.
Many mexicans see Trump as evil and racist, but can Trump actions truly be described like that, or they have a justification behind them?
As a mexican, I will tell you my unbiased opinion on Trump's most outrageous comments against Mexico.
On Trump's claims against immigrants
Trump's campaign has been marked by accusations against immigrants, calling them "criminals and rapists", stating that "they (Mexico) are not sending their best people, but the worst".
And sadly, Trump is right in most cases: while there do are some educated Mexicans that go to the US legally and with no ill intentions, the vast majority of the immigrants are those who live in poverty or similar adverse conditions - uneducated people that work most in labour and that are prone to delinquency (or have already been delinquents back in Mexico).
Of course, this is not to say every immigrant is a criminal, that is far from being the truth. A lot of mexicans are hardworkers and actually contribute to the US economy, but the reality is simple: they crossed the border illegally, and that is a crime by its own right.
We have to understand that Trump is not closing the borders for mexicans, he just want them to go to the US in a legal way.
On Trump's plan to rewrite NAFTA
According to Trump, NAFTA has been a bad deal for the US economy, taking away jobs from US citizens and giving them to mexicans with a much lower payment. A clear example has been seen on renown companies such as Carrier and Ford
Speaking of Ford, the company had plans to create a manufacturing plant on San Luis Potosi Mexico, and construction of the plant had just begun. But just last week Ford decided to abandon the project, due to Trump threat on increasing frontier tax on cars produced on mexican grounds.
Of course, if you ask any of the mexicans that were scheduled to get a job there, they will all say that trump is evil. But coming back to reality, Trump just wants the best for its people; in the first place, Ford was taking advantage of NAFTA by manufacturing its cars on foreign grounds, thus paying workers a much lower salary and saving costs on operations.
We have to think of Trump as a father of a family - the US citizens being the family. Everything that his family has worked hard to achieve, would he be willing to give it to a "stranger"? Let's think it ourselves: you are the owner of a family business, and you know your sons or relatives are capable of getting the job done. Would you rather hire a stranger than your own relative? The answer is most obvious for everyone.
I for one think that NAFTA will not disappear, but we will see major changes under Trump presidency.
Other Trump claims
Trump was know to encourage racism towards hispanics on several occasions, such was when he shown dislike for the spanish languge, telling Jeb Bush' wife that she should speak English, as well as when he disregarded Univision journalist Jorge Ramos.
Overall opinion
Trump controversy is mostly what led him to win the US elections. In fact, many of his controversial statements will bring major changes to Mexico's economy. The overall consensus among mexicans is that Trump is racist and evil. I could agree on the racist part, but I must admit: his actions are not truly evil.
His whole campaign revolved around his slogan, "Make America great Again". But if I was given the chance, I would change it to "Make America great Again - for those legally living in America".
