REPORT: Trump, Mexico’s Pres. Sheinbaum Spar Over Drug Cartels

May 4, 2025

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From the Wall Street Journal: President Trump is pressuring Mexico to allow deeper U.S. military involvement in the fight against drug cartels, people familiar with the discussions said, making security a sticking point for neighbors that are also negotiating over trade and immigration.

Tension rose toward the end of a 45-minute telephone conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on April 16 when Trump pushed to have U.S. armed forces take a leading role in battling Mexican drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl to the U.S., the people said. Sheinbaum told Trump her administration would cooperate on matters such as intelligence sharing but not accept a direct military presence, the people added.

Trump has said publicly that the U.S. would take unilateral action if Mexico doesn’t dismantle cartels. “Mexico is very, very afraid of the cartels,” Trump told the Spanish-language network of Fox News shortly after the April 16 conversation. “We want to help her. We want to help Mexico, because you can’t run a country like that. You just can’t.”

Trump and Sheinbaum have said their call was productive. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said robust bilateral cooperation is delivering results and creating a historically secure border.

The Wall Street Journal notes that since Sheinbaum lived in California for years, she speaks English fluently and does not need an interpreter when speaking with President Trump.

In a separate report, Fox News said President Trump called Sheinbaum and asked, “How can we help you fight drug trafficking?”

Sheinbaum reportedly told Trump, “No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable. We can collaborate. We can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.”

The two leaders spoke again on Thursday about trade.

In a statement on X Thursday morning, Sheinbaum wrote, “I had a very positive conversation with President Trump; we agreed that the Secretaries of the Treasury, the Finance, and the Economy and Commerce will continue working in the coming days on options to improve our trade balance and advance outstanding issues for the benefit of both countries.”

Tuve una conversación muy positiva con el presidente Trump; acordamos que los secretarios de Hacienda y Tesoro, así como de Economía y Comercio, seguirán trabajando en los próximos días en alternativas para mejorar nuestro balance comercial y avanzar en los temas pendientes para…

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) May 1, 2025