US president Donald Trump said on Sunday that Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum turned down his offer to send American troops into Mexico to help crack down on drug cartels because she was “too afraid” of the cartels to accept his proposal.
Trump further said that Sheinbaum was unable to “think straight” because of fear. “She’s so afraid of the cartels she can’t walk,” Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One. “And I think she’s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she is so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight.”
The remarks followed Sheinbaum’sconfirmation that Trump had pressed her during a call last month to let US forces take a larger role in Mexico’s fight against organised crime. Sheinbaum rejected the idea, saying that while cooperation is possible, it must respect national boundaries.
“He said, ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the United States military come in and help you,” Sheinbaum said. “And you know what I said to him? I told him, ‘No, president Trump. Sovereignty is not for sale. Sovereignty is loved and defended.”
Trump has taken a more aggressive approach to cross-border crime during his second term. Since January, the US military presence at the southern border has grown. Troops, surveillance aircraft, and equipment have been deployed to target fentanyl trafficking. Trump has also designated several cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, giving US agencies broader powers to act against them.
