U.S. presidential candidates in contest of atrocities: Mexican president

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday said the U.S. presidential race has devolved into a contest among candidates trying to outdo each other in "atrocities."

During a daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Lopez Obrador said: "As the elections loom in the United States, there is a kind of contest to see who says the most atrocities, who is the most brazen in threatening Mexico, in blaming Mexico ... that is what is happening in the United States."

The president chalked it up to electioneering and called on the Hispanic community to disregard the rhetoric.

"So what should we do? Well, not take these statements seriously, they are nonsense," he said.

Lopez Obrador urged Mexicans residing in the United States to not vote for candidates who speak ill of migrants or support anti-immigrant policies.

More than 40 million Mexicans live in the United States, according to the president. Data from Pew Research Center showed that Mexicans are the largest population of Hispanic origin living in America, accounting for 60 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2021.