THOMAS ROBERTS (HOST): Wadi Gaitan is the national press secretary for the Libre Initiative, that's a nonprofit organization serving the US Hispanic community. He's also a former communications director for the Florida Republican Party. Wadi, it's good to have you with me. What's your first reaction about the fact that Donald Trump accepted this invitation from Mexico's president and what type of signal, if any, that this sends to American Latino voters? 

WADI GAITAN: Yeah, well, this is a great opportunity for Donald Trump and President Enrique Peña Nieto to sit down and talk about US-Mexico relations. I mean, the reality is that it's very critical. We share a lengthy border with Mexico, our economies are connected, both countries depend on each other's imports and exports. And if I'm a Hispanic small business owner, if I'm an entrepeneur, I'm always looking for opportunities to partner up and make sure that we have free market principles. So I think they're going to be looking to see what is the outcome here. But they are also going to pay very close attention to -- if there's any discussion when it comes to immigration reform. Again, I mentioned the lengthy border there. When we talk about securing the border, it's not just a national security issue, but it's also talking about drug-trafficking and human-trafficking. I mean, these are very key issues in our nation and something, key issues that we share with Mexico. So I think Americans, Hispanics, and communities across the nation will be paying close attention to the outcome of this discussion.

ROBERTS: But for the Mexican president who's been watching the American political season play out they way that it has and knowing that Donald Trump originated his campaign by basically bastardizing all of Mexican people as rapists and criminals, and then also saying that Mexico would end up paying for the border wall that you discussed, and also saying that NAFTA needs to be renegotiated, does Peña Nieto and most Latino Americans feel that they have an honest broker in a campaign that's been represented by Donald Trump? I mean, this meeting doesn't seem as if they are going in with the best foot forward, so to speak. 

GAITAN: Yeah, that's a very valid question because like you pointed correctly there's a very long list of things that we could point to -- NAFTA being a very key one. But also the rhetoric that has been displayed in this campaign. I think this is the opportunity for Donald Trump to show that he can go beyond that, that he can engage on a policy discussion. And it's also an opportunity for him to show that when he said “not all of them” that he really meant that the vast majority of Hispanic Americans, of immigrants in this country are actually hard working individuals, people who are part of our churches, who have gone through our education system, people who contribute. So, yeah, the reality is there's been a lot of rhetoric, but I think this is the opportunity to really show that “I have sound policy that actually can move the country forward”. There are a lot of doubts if he would do that, but this is his opportunity, in my opinion, to really come out and show that he can go beyond the rhetoric and go beyond the tone that he has had for-- since he launched this campaign, really.

Related:

TPM: Vicente Fox Says Trump Not Welcome In Mexico: This Is A 'Political Stunt'

Previously:

The Libre Initiative: A Koch-Funded Group Being Passed Off As Empowering Hispanics

Libre Spokeswoman Campos-Duffy Pushes Policies That Would Hurt Latinas' Reproductive Rights

This Is How Trump's Closest Advisers Have Talked About Immigrants And Latinos