PHOENIX -- After meeting with the president of Mexico earlier in the day, Donald Trump used a highly anticipated speech Wednesday in Arizona to insist again that Mexico will pay for the wall he wants to build along the length of the United States' southern border.

"They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for" it, he told the thousands gathered in the convention center in downtown Phoenix.

With 10 weeks before the presidential election, Trump said the nation's immigration policy must focus on what is best for U.S. citizens, not those living in the country illegally.

"There is only one core issue in the immigration debate, and that issue is the well-being of the American people," he said, adding that he intends to treat "everyone living or residing" in the country with "great dignity."

Trump also accused President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of engaging in a "gross dereliction of duty" regarding their immigration policies. Clinton, he said, talks about the families that would be separated if people in the country illegally were deported, but she doesn't talk about families negatively affected by illegal immigration.

The New York businessman opened his speech by detailing the stories of illegal immigrants who committed violent crimes, focusing on beatings and stabbings of young women. "It's not going to happen anymore," he said.

Before Trump took the stage, families of such victims addressed the audience, describing how their children or loved ones were killed and thanking Trump for his promise to enforce the U.S.-Mexican border.

In Mexico earlier in the day to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump praised Mexicans on Wednesday as "amazing people" after a private meeting at the official presidential residence. Trump and Pena Nieto addressed reporters from adjacent lecterns in front of a Mexican flag.

Trump stayed on script and didn't mention his promise to force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border between the two countries when pressed by reporters.

While he and Pena Nieto talked about the wall, Trump said they didn't discuss who would pay for a cost of construction pegged in the billions.

"We did discuss the wall. We didn't discuss payment of the wall," Trump said.

Writing later on Twitter hours later, Pena Nieto said the subject was among the first things the men discussed.

"I made clear that Mexico would not pay for the wall," he wrote. He has for months said "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would pay for the wall.

"From there, the conversation addressed other issues, and developed in a respectful manner," he added.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller, in a statement Wednesday evening, said the meeting "was not a negotiation. ... It is unsurprising that they hold two different views on this issue, and we look forward to continuing the conversation."

In their side-by-side remarks after the meeting, Pena Nieto called the conversation with Trump "open and constructive."

"We may not agree on various topics, but your presence here shows that we have much in common," Pena Nieto said. "The next president will find in my government a partner."

Trump laid out a series of goals that he said would increase prosperity in both countries if they work together, including ending illegal immigration, not just from Mexico to the U.S. but also from Central America into Mexico, which he called a "humanitarian disaster," and recognizing the right of either country to build a secure, physical barrier at the border.

"Having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial," Trump said, reading from prepared remarks. "We recognize and respect the right of any country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons. Cooperation toward achieving this shared objective -- and it will be shared -- of safety for all citizens is paramount to both the United States and to Mexico."

Trump also spoke of embarking on joint efforts to dismantle drug cartels; improving the North American Free Trade Agreement to raise wages in both countries; and keeping manufacturing wealth in the hemisphere and jointly confronting the economic competition from China.

Pena Nieto chided Trump for some of his past remarks about Mexico.

Specifically, Pena Nieto cited the benefits of trade between the two nations. Trump has criticized and vowed to renegotiate NAFTA among the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The Mexican president, while saying he's open to modernizing the accord, said it has kept jobs in North America.

Trump said he "shared my strong view" that NAFTA has been a bigger benefit to Mexico than it has been to the U.S.

"I don't think that trade should be considered as zero-sum game, where one wins and the other loses, on the contrary, it should be an effort that generates value for both parts and makes our region, North America, the most competitive," he said.

On the border and immigration, Pena Nieto said illegal immigration into the U.S. has been falling for decades and that Mexicans are contributing to U.S. prosperity.

Pena Nieto made his invitation to both Trump and Clinton, who met with him in Mexico in 2014. Clinton has yet to accept Pena Neito's invitation to visit Mexico.

Pena Nieto has been sharply critical of Trump's immigration policies, particularly the Republican's plans to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. In a March interview, he said that "there is no scenario" under which Mexico would do so and compared Trump's language to that of dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Pena Nieto did not repeat such criticism on Wednesday, but acknowledged Trump's comments had "hurt and affected Mexicans."

"The Mexicans deserve everyone's respect," he said.

Anger in Mexico

Trump's presence Wednesday, his first meeting with a head of state abroad as a presidential candidate, sparked anger and protests across Mexico's capital city. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox bluntly told the businessman that, despite Pena Nieto's hospitality, he was not welcome.

"We don't like him. We don't want him. We reject his visit," Fox said on CNN, calling the trip a "political stunt."

Fox has been critical of Trump's plan to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico and on Wednesday he shrugged off recent signs of Trump softening his plans to deport 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

"You cannot trust a guy like this," Fox said. "How can we grant confidence and support to ideas that change every day? He cynically continues to disregard his own people and disregard Mexicans."

Despite Trump's promises that Mexico will pay for his border wall, Fox vowed in February that it would never happen. He also called Trump a "false prophet" who was misleading his followers.

On Wednesday, Fox expressed disbelief that Pena Nieto would invite Trump for the private meeting.

"I cannot envision him sitting in that chair, that was the chair of President Washington, President Jefferson, President Kennedy, President Reagan," Fox said. "He doesn't know how to run a nation. He doesn't even know how to run a business."

As he prepared to travel to Mexico, Trump responded to Fox's attacks, noting on Twitter that the former Mexican president once suggested that he pay the country a visit.

Fox fired back with a Twitter post of his own, reminding Trump that he invited him to come to Mexico and personally apologize to all Mexicans.

"Stop lying!" Fox wrote. "Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect."

On the whole, Mexicans reacted with disappointment and disgust that Trump had even been invited. Many responded angrily to what they saw as a weak performance by Pena Nieto.

Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope called the meeting "a disaster."

"Trump didn't alter his positions one little bit," Hope said. "He just dressed them up a little in less incendiary language." Of Pena Nieto, Hope said "in the end, he gave Trump an opportunity to show off, while getting nothing in return. Good work, guys."

Trump "came for a photo op and Enrique Pena Nieto allowed himself to be used to benefit his [Trump's] campaign," said columnist Jorge Zepeda.

Trump's contention that illegal immigration and the flight of manufacturing jobs were hurting Mexicans, too, did little to win hearts and minds south of the border.

Trump "came to repeat his ideas without negotiating," Mexico City security analyst Raul Benitez said. "What a ridiculous visit."

News anchor Carlos Loret de Mola tweeted grimly, "Trump can leave in peace. The humiliation has been carried out."

And writer Angeles Mastretta wrote in her Twitter account, "what was expected: a president who isn't capable of demanding apologies ... how sad."

Artist Arturo Meade joined one of the few small protests before the meeting with his 2½-year old son Mariano, and shook his head in disgust.

"This is an insult and a betrayal," Meade said. "What can this meeting bring us, except surrealism in all its splendor?"

Clinton

Campaigning in Ohio earlier in the day, Clinton jabbed at Trump's Mexico appearance as she promoted her own experience working with foreign leaders as the nation's chief diplomat.

"People have to get to know that they can count on you, that you won't say one thing one day and something totally different the next," she told the American Legion in Cincinnati. "And it certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again."

Her campaign also jumped on Pena Nieto's tweet about discussing payment for a border wall.

"It turns out Trump didn't just choke," said Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta in a statement, "he got beat in the room and lied about it."

Clinton largely used the Ohio event to make a vigorous appeal to Republican voters, arguing that she would best uphold American values, care for the military and protect national security interests. She called the United States an "exceptional nation" and accused Trump of thinking that approach is "insulting to the rest of the world."

"When we say America is exceptional, it doesn't mean that people from other places don't feel deep national pride just like we do," Clinton said. "It means that we recognize America's unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity."

She said America must be a leader in the world, "because when America fails to lead, we leave a vacuum."

She stressed to the American Legion her experience on the Senate Armed Services Committee and as secretary of state and noted her role in advising Obama on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, saying she was "deeply honored" to take part.

The speech was touted as one that would emphasize "American exceptionalism," an idea that the U.S., as an "exceptional" world citizen, has a moral obligation to advance democracy in the world rather than imposing it against another country's will. The speech largely hewed to the theme of a country with a strong military and one that cares for its veterans.

Clinton promised to invest in the military and support veterans, pledging not to privatize the Department of Veterans Affairs. She said the United States must modernize the military and embrace new tactics, noting that the country should "treat cyberattacks just like any other attacks" and respond through economic, diplomatic and military means.

Emphasizing her respect for service, Clinton noted her work with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, and said she would never insult prisoners of war or families of soldiers killed in combat, as Trump has.

More than once, Clinton explicitly called on Republicans to get on board -- both to support her plans and to defeat Trump.

"I hope you will join the growing number of Americans -- Democrats, Republicans and independents -- who are supporting our vision for the kind of future we want for our country," Clinton said.

Responding to Clinton's remarks, Matt Miller, director of Veterans for Trump, said in a statement that Clinton "is fundamentally unequipped to further the national security interests of the United States and stand up for our veterans."

Information for this article was contributed by Steve Peoples, Christopher Sherman, Jill Colvin, Mark Stevenson, Maria Verza, Catherine Lucey and Ken Thomas of The Associated Press; by Alan Rappeport of The New York Times; by Kevin Cirilli, Eric Martin, Jonathan Roeder, Sahil Kapur, Ben Brody, Terrence Dopp, Justin Sink, Nacha Cattan, Mike Dorning and Joshua Green of Bloomberg News; and by Joshua Partlow, Sean Sullivan, Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan of The Washington Post.

A Section on 09/01/2016