Trump to meet Mexican president ahead of immigration speech

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he will meet Mexico's president on Wednesday, hours before he sets out proposals to crack down on illegal immigration.

"I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow," Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

The meeting will happen hours before Trump is scheduled to deliver a major address on immigration in Phoenix, Arizona, in which he will aim to clarify his increasingly murky stance on the issue.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

The Mexican government confirmed the meeting in a tweet, saying Trump had agreed to meet Pena Nieto in private.

Peña Nieto – who has previously compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini – said via Twitter that he had invited both presidential candidates to Mexico “to discuss bilateral relations”, adding: “I believe in dialogue to promote the interests of Mexico in the world and to protect Mexicans wherever they are.”

Invité a México a los candidatos a la Presidencia de EEUU, para conversar sobre la relación bilateral. Mañana recibo a Donald Trump.

— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016

El Señor @realDonaldTrump ha aceptado esta invitación y se reunirá mañana en privado con el Presidente @EPN.

— Presidencia México (@PresidenciaMX) August 31, 2016

Trump has been pilloried by media in Mexico since he launched his presidential campaign last year with a barrage of broadsides against the country, saying it sent rapists and drug dealers to the US.

However, in recent days, Trump has been increasingly vague on his position about the legal status of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the US. During the Republican primary, Trump had appealed to the conservative base by calling for a “deportation force” to remove all undocumented aliens from the country.

The meeting appeared to be a gamble by Pena Nieto, who has fallen on hard political times in recent months, with the latest polls putting his approval rating at just 23%, according to Mexico News Daily.