Carlos Slim and Donald Trump: From Feud to Dinner
During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump called Carlos Slim part of a “globalist cabal” trying to destroy his candidacy. Weeks after winning, Trump sat down to dinner with him at Mar-a-Lago and declared him “a wonderful man.”
The Carlos Slim–Donald Trump saga is one of the wildest billionaire frenemy stories in modern politics. Here it is, start to finish.
The Quick Answer
Carlos Slim and Donald Trump went from bitter campaign enemies to dinner companions. In 2015–16, Slim’s media company cut ties with Trump over his “rapists” remarks about Mexicans, and Trump accused Slim — a major New York Times shareholder — of pulling the paper’s strings against him. After Trump’s victory, Slim flew to Mar-a-Lago for a private dinner on December 17, 2016; Trump tweeted it was “a lovely dinner with a wonderful man” and later called him “A GREAT GUY!” Slim, in turn, reassured Mexico: “Trump is not the Terminator — he’s a negotiator.”
Who Is Carlos Slim?
Carlos Slim Helú (born January 28, 1940, in Mexico City) is Mexico’s richest man and one of the wealthiest people on earth — a telecom magnate whose empire (Telmex, América Móvil) spans Latin America. He was the world’s richest person from 2010 to 2013. Of Lebanese descent — his parents, Julián Slim Haddad and Linda Helú, were Maronite Christians who emigrated from Lebanon — he built his fortune from a stockbrokerage into an empire, famously living modestly despite his billions.
Who Is Donald Trump? (The Short Version)
Donald Trump — real-estate mogul, reality TV star, 45th and 47th President of the United States — built his 2016 campaign on hardline immigration rhetoric and attacks on NAFTA, both of which put him on a collision course with Mexico’s business elite. Slim, whose fortune depends on cross-border trade and telecom, was the most prominent target. (More on their political dynamic: Bill Gates and Donald Trump: Relationship, Meetings & Political Dynamics.)
The Feud (2015–2016)
The bad blood had chapters:
- June 2015: After Trump launched his campaign calling Mexican immigrants “rapists,” Slim’s Ora TV network dropped a planned television project with him.
- October 2016: With the Times publishing harassment allegations, Trump declared: “The New York Times strings are being pulled by Mexico’s Carlos Slim” — a reference to Slim’s 17% stake, the paper’s largest individual holding. Slim denied it.
- Late 2016: Slim publicly warned Trump’s tariff and wall plans would “destroy” the American economy.
The Dinner: December 17, 2016
Then came the pivot. After weeks of back-channel outreach — including a secret Mexico City visit by Trump envoy Corey Lewandowski — Slim journeyed to Mar-a-Lago for a private dinner. Trump emerged converted: “a lovely dinner with a wonderful man,” he said, later tweeting “HE IS A GREAT GUY!” (San Diego Jewish World).
Slim’s son-in-law Arturo Elías Ayub described the dinner as “very cordial.” In January 2017, Slim held a rare press conference urging Mexicans not to fear Trump — even holding up a copy of Trump’s book Great Again for the cameras — and arguing that investment, not walls, would stem migration.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 2015 | Slim’s Ora TV drops Trump project over “rapists” remarks |
| Oct 2016 | Trump accuses Slim of pulling NYT strings |
| Nov 8, 2016 | Trump wins; back-channel outreach begins |
| Dec 17, 2016 | Mar-a-Lago dinner; “a wonderful man” |
| Jan 2017 | Slim: “Trump is not the Terminator, he’s a negotiator” |
FAQs
Are Carlos Slim and Donald Trump friends?
They went from public enemies in 2016 to cordial dinner companions after the election. Their relationship has been pragmatic rather than personal ever since.
Why did Trump attack Carlos Slim?
Trump accused Slim of using his 17% New York Times stake to steer coverage toward Hillary Clinton — a claim Slim denied.
What is Carlos Slim’s ethnicity?
Slim is Mexican of Lebanese descent; his parents were Maronite Christian immigrants from Lebanon.
Did Carlos Slim support Trump’s wall?
No. Slim argued that investment and job creation in Mexico — not a wall — were the real answer to migration.
Final Word
Two billionaires, two countries, one dinner that rewrote the narrative. The Slim–Trump arc — from “globalist cabal” to “great guy” in under two months — remains the purest distillation of Trump’s transactional worldview: yesterday’s enemy is today’s dinner guest, provided the deal is right.
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She holds advanced qualifications in Sociology, Anthropology, and Ethnic Studies, fields that focus on human cultures, traditions, migration patterns, and identity development across the world. Her expertise allows her to break down complex cultural topics into easy-to-understand articles that readers genuinely enjoy.
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