Mexican President Talks with Trump on 'Ground Attacks'... Rejects U.S. Military Intervention

Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, announced on January 12 (local time) that she had rejected the option of U.S. military intervention during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

At a regular press conference that day, President Sheinbaum said, "Today, I discussed current issues with President Trump," and regarding the possibility of U.S. attacks within Mexican territory to block drug cartels, she added, "I reiterated to President Trump that this is not up for discussion."

Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Previously, in an interview with Fox News aired on January 8, President Trump stated, "We are now going to start ground attacks in relation to the (drug trafficking) cartels," and added, "The cartels are running Mexico, and it is truly deplorable to watch what is happening in that country (Mexico)."

Major foreign media outlets interpreted these remarks as meaning that, following the airstrikes in Venezuela, the United States could expand its range of attacks to include cartel bases in Mexico in connection with drug smuggling.

President Sheinbaum said, "(President Trump) asked in a tone of, 'If you want more help from our military in Mexico,' but as I have already said several times, I conveyed that we will cooperate within the scope of our sovereignty."

When local reporters requested confirmation on whether U.S. military action had truly been ruled out, President Sheinbaum replied, "Yes."

President Sheinbaum had previously stated on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), "I had a very good conversation with President Trump," and added, "We discussed a variety of topics, including security issues related to sovereignty, reducing drug trafficking, and investment."

According to the U.S. daily El Universal, this was the 15th phone call between the leaders of the two countries. President Sheinbaum has been credited with minimizing the impact of last year's tariff dispute by maintaining communication with President Trump.

The two countries also agreed on the need to achieve tangible results on current issues during a phone call the previous day between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mexican Foreign Minister Dela Fuente.

Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on the State Department website, "(The two ministers) discussed the need for strong cooperation to dismantle Mexico's violent drug terror organizations and to block the trafficking of fentanyl and weapons."