U.S. President-elect Donald Trump gestures during a news conference in New York, the United States, on Jan. 11, 2017. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump met the press Wednesday for the first news conference since the election. (Xinhua/Gary Hershorn)
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday sparked anger, uncertainty and skepticism among Latin Americans, following his first press conference since winning the election.
Trump infuriated Mexicans once again by repeating his pledge to build a wall along the border and have Mexico foot the bill.
"We're going to start building" as soon as possible, and "Mexico in some form, and there are many different forms, will reimburse us," said Trump.
Mexico's most outspoken Trump critic, former president Vicente Fox, wasted no time in responding.
"Neither today, nor tomorrow nor never Mexico will pay for that stupid wall," Fox posted to Twitter.
"If Trump wants a monument to his ego, let him pay for it!!," added Fox.
He also warned "it's clear that we're facing a new era of dictatorship with Donald Trump," but he added there was no need to fear Trump.
Mexican historian and intellectual Enrique Krauze echoed Fox's sentiments with a tweet, saying that there was "no way" Mexico will pay for the wall.
Like many other observers around the globe, including in the United States, Krauze noted Trump's "aggressive" manner when speaking to reporters.
"Trump's level of aggression and disregard for civil debate and the press is terrifying. And he's not even in power yet," said Krauze.
Mexico's representative to the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Alfonso de Alba, said a wall would not necessarily be effective, and neighbors should take a more humanitarian and comprehensive approach to immigration.
"In the end, they (migrants) do not contribute solely to their country of origin, but also to the country they end up in," said De Alba, who was attending an event at Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto also rejected Trump's demand, saying that Mexico will not pay for the wall but will seek open and complete negotiations with Trump't government.
In Cuba, people who watched the live broadcast remained perplexed about the future of bilateral ties with the United States.
"What seems obvious is that Cuba is not an immediate priority for Trump. Given the unknown decisions he will take concerning our country, the process of normalization of ties will either advance or regress, which is concerning," said Tania Orozco, a state worker.
She also noted Trump's famed intransigence and sympathized with Mexico.
"What ... caught my attention was his inflexibility and authoritarianism in building a wall along the Mexican border. He said that country has taken advantage of the U.S., when we all know it is the exact opposite," said Orozco.
Also on Wednesday, Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, appeared in front of the Senate for his confirmation hearings. Referring to Cuba, Tillerson said he would recommend Trump veto any legislation proposed by Obama to make the rapprochement between the two sides inevitable.
The former head of oil giant, ExxonMobil, revealed that Trump would likely revise relations with Havana through an executive order, shortly after assuming office.
Furthermore, Tillerson said that a proposal to lift the ban on Americans travelling to Cuba, proposed by Obama, would not be rapidly approved.
Finally, the potential Secretary of State said he would advise Trump to halt any attempts to lift the trade embargo on Cuba and to carefully examine why Cuba was removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2015.
Further south in Argentina, political observers also felt Trump's defiant off-the-cuff remarks to the media generated doubt and uncertainty around the globe.
"The world has been expecting a change of course in the world's leading economy," said economist Maria Cecilia Peralta, "but following this press conference, doubts about prompt changes and structural decisions are generating even more anxiety due to their global impact."
