Image Credit: Manuel Velasquez / Stringer / Getty 
On Thursday President Donald Trump spoke with Mexico’s drug-cartel-adjacent President Claudia Sheinbaum. The three main topics the two discussed were the border, anti-drug trafficking efforts and trade.
I had a very productive telephone conversation with President Claudia Sheinbaum, of Mexico. It went extremely well for both Countries. Much of it was focused on the Border, stopping Drug Trafficking, and Trade. We will be speaking again, soon, and ultimately, setting up meetings in our respective Countries. Mexico has a wonderful and highly intelligent Leader — They should be very happy about that! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
Regarding trade, the White House National Security Strategy laid out the objective of keeping Mexico from developing deep economic ties with China. Trump’s trade discussions with Sheinbaum are likely the other side of this agenda – forming deeper economic ties between the two North Americans nations.
Trump discussing the border with Sheinbaum indicates he may be seeking to improve U.S. border security via enhancing Mexico’s, as well as combatting the Mexican urge to generate revenue off illegal crossings, although this is just speculation.
Regarding anti-drug policies, Trump may have been playing the ‘good cop’ while on his Thursday call, after playing the ‘bad cop’ over the last several months. The capture of Maduro likely catalyzed this positive change of tone by showing Sheinbaum that the U.S. is willing to use force when diplomacy fails.
In November Trump was mulling airstrikes on drug cartel targets in Mexico.
“Would I launch strikes on Mexico to stop drugs? That’s OK with me… Would I do that on the land corridors? I would,” Trump said.
“It’s not going to happen,” Sheinbaum defiantly responded the following day.
The President’s statement came as Mexico faced a populous uprising against the narco-terror-state-allied Sheinbaum.
Mexico turned out to be involved in the Venezuelan drug trafficking operation – following Maduro’s capture Mexico may be realizing that the U.S. means business.
“Former Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife used diplomatic planes to move cocaine money from Mexico to Venezuela, and maintained long-standing ties with Mexican cartels, according to the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) indictment against the couple,” Infowars reported.
In early January Trump issued a stern warning to Mexico about its illegal drug trafficking activities. Infowars reported:
President Donald Trump has warned that drug traffickers in Colombia and Mexico could be the next targets for U.S. military action in the Americas, and he also predicted that Cuba’s communist regime may fall.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked directly if the U.S. will take military actions against Colombia.
“It sounds good to me,” the President replied.
“Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man [President Gustavo Petro], who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you.”
Trump then warned the U.S. might have “to do something with Mexico,” explaining that the Mexican government is not doing enough to fight the drug cartels.
“Mexico has to get their act together because they’re pouring through Mexico, and we’re going to have to do something,” Trump said.
“We’d love Mexico to do it, they’re capable of doing it but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico.”
Trump said he had offered U.S. military assistance to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on multiple occasions, but she was “just not willing” and “a little afraid.”
