MEXICAN President Enrique Peña Nieto said Monday he had not recently spoken to Donald J. Trump on the phone, after the US leader boasted his counterpart had called him to praise his border policy. Mr. Trump made the comments as he presented his new chief of staff, former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who is tasked with restoring order to a White House beset by scandal, infighting and legislative defeats. “As you know, the border was a tremendous problem and they’re close to 80% stoppage. And even the president of Mexico called me — they said their southern border, very few people are coming because they know they’re not going to get through our border, which is the ultimate compliment.” Mr. Peña Nieto’s office rejected that account. “President Enrique Peña Nieto has not recently communicated with President Donald Trump by phone,” it said in a statement. — AFP
