Sheinbaum is defiant as Trump vows military action in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — President Trump has used military force to fight drug cartels, blowing up dozens of alleged traffickers at sea and helping Ecuador bomb criminal training camps.
In recent days, he announced the formation of a “brand new military coalition” made up of mostly right-wing governments across the Americas, united “in their determination to use lethal military force to destroy sinister cartels and terrorist networks.”
“We need your help,” he told regional leaders gathered at his golf club outside Miami on Saturday. “Just tell us where they are.”
On Monday, the Mexican leader suggested that Washington should focus on other steps: curbing America’s insatiable appetite for illicit drugs and combating illegal arms trafficking.
“If the illegal flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico were stopped, these groups would not have access to such high-powered weapons to conduct their criminal activities,” President Claudia Sheinabum said at her daily press conference, citing a U.S. Department of Justice statistic that 75% of weapons used by criminal groups in Mexico are smuggled out of the United States.
Sheinbaum, whose stated strategy is to “play it cool” in the face of Trump’s repeated verbal bravado, was responding to a question about Trump’s recent threats to deploy military assets against cartels in his country. Trump made this threat while speaking at the meeting of the newly formed “Coalition Against America Cartel”.
The conversation included some of Trump’s favored right-wing leaders, such as Argentine President Javier Milei and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.
The leftist presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, Latin America’s three most populous countries, were not invited.
President Trump signed a proclamation committing to countering cartel criminal activity at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Fla., on March 7.
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
Trump specifically targeted Sheinbaum during his speech, mocking the Mexican president’s staunch rejection of direct U.S. military aid, which he said would violate Mexico’s sovereignty.
Trump first praised Sheinbaum — “She’s got a beautiful voice, she’s a beautiful woman” — but then adopted a false tone to imitate her: “President. President. President,” he said. “No. No. No. Please, president.”
“We must recognize [that] “The epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico,” Trump continued, “Mexican cartels fuel and orchestrate much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere. And the United States government will do whatever it takes to protect our national security and the safety of the American people.”
The comments were some of the strongest comments yet about Mexico by Trump, who has previously said that Mexico is “run” by drug traffickers and that Sheinbaum was “so afraid of the cartels that he couldn’t think.”
Mexico is both a major corridor for South American cocaine bound for U.S. markets and a manufacturing region for fentanyl, methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs smuggled into the United States.
Partly responding to U.S. pressure, Mexico has launched a broad crackdown over the past year; arrested hundreds of smuggling suspects, destroyed clandestine drug laboratories, and handed over scores of alleged cartel operatives to U.S. authorities. Last month, Mexico killed one of Mexico’s leading drug lords, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” during a raid on his mountain hideout.
When asked about Trump’s comments over the weekend, Sheinbaum said he appreciated that they accurately reflected his refusal to allow the U.S. military into Mexico. He showed no rancor towards Trump’s sarcastic tone and signaled his continued support for cooperation with Washington and joint intelligence – but not against direct US attacks.
He said U.S. efforts to fight addiction would be more helpful than military aid.
“There is a very important issue that needs to be addressed, and that is reducing drug use in the United States,” he said.
Sheinbaum also noted that the United States has its own problem with drug production, referencing the Netflix series “Breaking Bad,” which follows a high school teacher in Albuquerque who cooks and sells methamphetamine.
“Yes, there is drug production in the United States as well,” Sheinbaum said. “So much so that they even make television series on this subject.”
Cecilia Sánchez Vidal from the Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.
