Billionaire Slim pledges to help Mexico negotiate with Trump

• At a rare news conference, private Mexican mogul Carlos Slim -- chief of America Movil (NYSE:AMX), Telmex, Samsung Mexico and Grupo Carso (OTCPK:GPOVY), and top shareholder in the New York Times (NYSE:NYT) -- said he's willing to help Mexico's government negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump as tensions escalate between the two trade partners.
• Pledges by Trump during the campaign to build an extensive border wall had drawn criticism from Slim, who worried that such a move would wreck the U.S. economy. After the election, though, the two men dined together at Trump's Florida resort in what was described as a cordial meeting where Slim got a "very positive" impression.
• The wall is back in the forefront after Trump signed an executive order committing to build it.
• Today Slim called on all Mexicans to unite behind President Enrique Pena Nieto, saying the country needed to negotiate from strength against a "great negotiator" in Trump.
• Previously: Trump and Nieto meet over phone (Jan. 27 2017)
• Mexico ETFs: EWW, MXF, MXE, UMX, DBMX, SMK, QMEX, HEWW