Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday called former President Donald Trump a “friend” but reiterated his differences with Trump over his approach to immigration policy.

While Lopez Obrador disagrees with Trump's calls to close the border and his accusations that illegal immigrants are smuggling drugs such as fentanyl into the US, he reportedly called Trump a “man of intelligence and vision.” Associated Press.

The Mexican president indicated he plans to write to President Trump to convince him that his views on illegal immigration are wrong. “I'm going to prove to President Trump that immigrants are not bringing drugs into the United States,” Lopez Obrador said, according to the media. “Closing the border doesn't solve anything, and it's impossible.” (Related story: Mexico elects first female president, who could bring similar effects to border crisis)

Mexican president calls Trump 'friend', warns against closing border https://t.co/1VYyaxzNkJ

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The Mexican president argued that closing the border would hinder trade and commerce, saying, “We won't last a month with the border closed. He also spoke about Americans' concerns about relocating auto manufacturing facilities to Mexico, suggesting that keeping them in the U.S. would raise prices to $15,000 to $20,000 per car, the Associated Press reported.

Despite their clashes, the two leaders maintained a cordial relationship, and under Trump, President Lopez Obrador agreed to send in the Mexican National Guard to stop migrants from landing at the southern border.

Shortly after President Joe Biden took office, a crisis began unfolding at the border as hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers showed up seeking entry.