President Trump plans to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the White House next Wednesday to mark the implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“The United States appreciates the efforts of our partners in Mexico and Canada to ensure that North America is strengthening its economic ties while working to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday, the day the trade agreement went into effect.
“To mark this historic achievement, I look forward to welcoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico to the White House on July 8, 2020, to continue our important dialogue on trade, health, and other issues central to our regional prosperity and security,” Trump continued.
The meeting between the two presidents had been in the works with López Obrador telling reporters earlier this week he was determining the specific dates for the planned visit.
Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard tweeted late Tuesday that the U.S. government had invited the Mexican government to visit Washington on July 8 and 9.
The visit will represent the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and López Obrador since the Mexican president took office in December 2018.
López Obrador has not traveled abroad during his 18-month presidency.
It will also be Trump’s second recent meeting with a foreign head-of-state during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump welcomed Polish President Andrzej Duda to the White House last week, after last receiving a foreign leader in mid-March.
The White House has taken health precautions for visitors, administering coronavirus tests to anyone who comes in close contact with Trump or Vice President Pence.
Rafael Bernal contributed.