Mexico president tells Donald Trump: 'America First is a fallacy' in response to tariff threat

The president of Mexico says he wants to avoid a confrontation with the United States, but had harsh words about President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on Mexican goods to pressure the nation to stem the flow of Central American migrants.

"America First is a fallacy,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, often referred to as AMLO, said in a public letter released late Thursday.

López Obrador also announced he was sending his foreign minister to Washington, D.C., on Friday to negotiate with U.S. officials ahead of a June 10 deadline set by Trump.

In a Thursday tweet, Trump said that on June 10 the United States "will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP."

In the tweet and in a separate written statement, Trump claimed that the tariff will escalate by 5 percentage points each month until "the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied," at which time it will be removed. Trump said the tariff could reach 25% by Oct. 1.

As for Trump's statements, AMLO said: “With all due respect, although you have the right to express it, 'America First' is a fallacy because until the end of times, even beyond national borders, justice and universal fraternity will prevail."

While not citing the letter specifically, Trump did defend his proposal in Friday morning tweets, blaming Mexico and congressional Democrats for migrant problems on the border.

"Mexico has taken advantage of the United States for decades," Trump tweeted, claiming that "Mexico makes a FORTUNE from the U.S." and "they can easily fix this problem."