Few presidents of Mexico have managed to unite the country in the way Donald Trump did after he launched his U.S. presidential bid a week ago with a string of broadsides against America's southern neighbor.

"Imbecile," "racist," "absurd" and "ignorant" were some of the less vulgar words used by prominent Mexicans about Trump after the flamboyant real estate magnate described migrants from Mexico to the United States as drug runners and rapists.

Trump's provocative comments, including a pledge to build a "great wall" on the U.S. southern border paid for by Mexico, were the latest in a series of swipes against a country where he has become more famous for controversies than boardroom success.