May 4 | Aboard Air Force One
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had offered to send American troops to Mexico to help Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum fight drug cartels. Sheinbaum had revealed this on Saturday and said she had said no.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump said he made the offer because the drug cartels are “horrible people” who have caused many deaths.
“If Mexico wanted help with the cartels, I would be happy to send our troops,” Trump said.
When asked if he was upset that Sheinbaum turned down his offer, Trump said, “I think she’s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman, but she’s so scared of the cartels that she can’t think clearly.”
On Saturday, Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s offer because “sovereignty is not for sale.” She was responding to a Wall Street Journal report from May 2, which said Trump was pushing Mexico to allow more U.S. military involvement in fighting drug trafficking across the border.
Sheinbaum said Mexico is open to working with the U.S., but would “never allow U.S. military forces on our land.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council told Reuters that Trump made it clear Mexico needs to do more to fight the cartels. The U.S. is ready to help.
Trump has also said before that the U.S. could take military action on its own if Mexico doesn’t act against the drug cartels. The two presidents have spoken several times in recent months about security, trade, and immigration.
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