Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday that President Donald Trump proposed sending American troops into Mexico to help her administration fight drug trafficking but that she flatly rejected it.
Her remarks to supporters in eastern Mexico came in response to a Wall Street Journal article published the day before, describing a tense phone call last month in which Trump reportedly pressured her to accept a bigger role for the US military in combating drug cartels in Mexico.
‘In one of the calls, Trump said, “How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the US Army come in to help you,”‘ said Sheinbaum, who was speaking at a university event near the capital on Saturday.
And you know what I told him? “No, President Trump, the territory is sacrosanct, sovereignty is sacrosanct, sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is loved and defended,”‘ the Mexican president said.
Sheinbaum added that while the two countries can collaborate, ‘we will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory.’
White House National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said in a statement later on Saturday that Trump has worked closely with Mexico’s president ‘to achieve the most secure southwest border in history.’
Dangerous Foreign Terrorist Organizations, however, continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country,’ the statement said.
‘The President has been crystal clear that Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries.’
