Washington (EFE).- The United States President Donald Trump declared on Monday that he is “not happy” with Mexico’s efforts to combat drug trafficking, which is why he does not rule out attacking cartels in Mexico.
“Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trump said at a White House press conference, adding, “I looked at Mexico City over the weekend. There’s some big problems over there.”
Trump said he is in conversation with the Mexican government and that they “know” his position.
“So let me just put it this way. I am not happy with Mexico,” the president declared after pointing out that hundreds of thousands of people have died in the US due to drugs.
Trump’s words represent a change in tone; until now, he had praised Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for her cooperation with the US in fighting drug trafficking.
Trump made these statements to the press in the Oval Office amid Operation Southern Spear, which he ordered to combat drug trafficking in Latin America, and which has particularly escalated tensions with Venezuela over a possible US attack on its territory.
Since September, the US military has destroyed approximately 20 boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, near Venezuela and Colombia. They have extrajudicially killed over 70 people, whom they describe as “narcoterrorists.”
At Monday’s press conference, Trump said he does not rule out the possibility of a military intervention in Venezuela and is open to speaking with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“I talk to anybody, let’s see what happens,” he said when asked about the possibility of speaking with Maduro before carrying out a military attack on Venezuelan interests.
The US head of state said that his Venezuelan counterpart has not been good to the US and again accused his government of sending “illegal immigrants,” including members of the Tren de Aragua gang, to the US.
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out (…) Venezuela would like to talk,” he said on Sunday.
As of Friday, he said he had already decided the measures to implement regarding the South American country, yet did not reveal further details. EFE
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