After the United States military intervention in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of the Chavista leader Nicolás Maduro, United States President Donald Trump raised the tone of his warnings about Mexico, stating that the neighboring country faces a structural security problem because it is, in his words, "governed by drug cartels."
In an interview with Fox News, Trump maintained that the magnitude of drug trafficking toward the United States forces consideration of more forceful measures to protect the American population.
The president asserted that he has repeatedly raised with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum the possibility of direct cooperation to put an end to the cartels.
"Something will have to be done with Mexico", Trump declared, as he recounted that he has asked Sheinbaum several times whether she wants the United States to help end these criminal organizations. According to the president, the Mexican president's response has been negative, motivated by the fear that, he claims, the cartels generate even in the highest echelons of power.
Trump rejected the idea that the operation in Venezuela was a direct message for Mexico, although he stressed that the drug trafficking that crosses the southern border is a national emergency.
He stated that the United States loses tens, and even hundreds, of thousands of lives every year because of drugs, particularly due to substances that enter from Mexican territory. "We have to do something with Mexico," he insisted, as he pointed out that the human cost of drug trafficking is unacceptable.
The United States president's statements align with a stance that he has consistently maintained since the beginning of his second term.
Trump has reiterated that, although he respects President Sheinbaum and acknowledges her personal courage, he believes that the Mexican state is weakened in the face of the cartels' power.
