Sheinbaum stresses U.S. cooperation after Trump cartel remarks
Original reporting: UDGTV
What happened
Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized security cooperation with Washington after Donald Trump called Mexico the epicenter of cartel violence and demanded that it regain territorial control.
Reporting and context
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum avoided directly confronting U.S. President Donald Trump after he called Mexico the “epicenter” of cartel violence and demanded that it regain control of its territory. UDGTV reported that Sheinbaum instead emphasized security cooperation with the United States during her Wednesday morning press conference.
Sheinbaum said she could criticize the United States for its high level of illicit drug consumption or its weapons production, but chose not to do so. “We have a good relationship with President Trump and the U.S. government,” she said, adding that the two countries are working in coordination and will make progress.
Trump made his comments at the United Nations General Assembly, where he described sharing a roughly 2,000-mile border with territory he said was controlled by “enemy cartels” as unacceptable. He also said security and protection would come to Mexico and praised the relationship between the two governments. According to UDGTV, Sheinbaum has rejected potential U.S. operations that would violate Mexican sovereignty and has argued that combating drug trafficking requires responsibilities on both sides of the border.