Trump: Cartels Control Mexico, Action Needed

United States — US President Donald Trump stated that following the military operation that culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, it is necessary to “do something” regarding the situation of drug trafficking cartels in Mexico.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump assured that the intervention in Venezuela was not intended as a message directed at the Mexican government, but he linked the action to the fight against drug trafficking affecting his country.

The president maintained that he maintains a friendly relationship with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, although he insisted that —in his opinion— the cartels “control Mexico” and not the president. Trump stated that on multiple occasions he has raised with Sheinbaum the possibility of the United States acting directly against criminal groups, a proposal that, according to him, has been rejected.

“Drug trafficking must be stopped,” he said, explaining that, in his opinion, hundreds of thousands of people have died in the United States as a consequence of drug consumption entering through the southern border. Therefore, he argued, “we have to do something with Mexico.”

These statements occur in a context of tensions following the US offensive in Venezuela, which included attacks and the capture of Maduro and his wife, and have generated concern about the direction of regional policy and the Mexico–United States bilateral relationship.