Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has issued a firm rebuttal to former US President Donald Trump's latest threat of authorising military strikes against drug cartels on Mexican soil.
The president's comments came on Tuesday morning in Mexico City, directly responding to Trump's statements made just one day earlier about potential cross-border operations.
Historical Warnings Against Intervention
Sheinbaum pointed to the 19th century Mexican-American war as a stark reminder of what could occur if US forces were permitted to operate within Mexico's borders. "The last time the United States came to intervene in Mexico, they took half of the territory," she told reporters, emphasising the nation's sovereignty.
The Mexican leader revealed that while the Trump administration had later clarified any intervention would require Mexico's permission, she remained unequivocal in her position. "We are not going to ask for it because we do not want intervention from any foreign government," Sheinbaum stated firmly.
Trump's Escalating Rhetoric
Trump's comments on Monday represented a significant escalation in his approach to cross-border security issues. "Would I want strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs," the former president declared, adding that he's "not happy with Mexico" and that his government has drug corridors from Mexico "under major surveillance."
Despite expressing personal admiration for Sheinbaum in October, calling her "a tremendous woman" and "very brave woman," Trump simultaneously claimed that "Mexico is run by the cartels," highlighting the complex nature of bilateral relations between the neighbouring nations.
Regional Military Buildup Concerns
The diplomatic tensions coincide with a notable US military buildup in the region. Trump has amassed an armada that includes the USS Gerald Ford, recognised as the world's largest aircraft carrier, currently positioned in the southern Caribbean near Venezuela.
While Trump maintains the deployment targets drug trafficking, with the US military having destroyed 21 alleged drug trafficking boats since September resulting in at least 83 fatalities, many analysts interpret the move as pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced the administration's position, stating: "Some countries are cooperating with us enthusiastically – others, less so. The former will be rewarded. As for the latter, Mr. Trump has already shown that he is more than willing to use America's considerable leverage to protect our interests."
Sheinbaum, who assumed power shortly before Trump's return to the White House, has received recognition for her composed yet resolute management of the bilateral relationship despite mounting pressure from the northern neighbour.
