Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, President Donald J. Trump was interviewed by The York Times and Fox News. During those interviews, he threatened to carryout military strikes against drug cartels in Mexico, stated elections in Venezuela would not take place until the U.S. rebuilds the South American Country, and suggested his own morality served as the only check on his power, not international law.
Trump told Fox News correspondent Sean Hannity, “we’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are now going to start hitting land we regard to the cartes.” The president also stated the U.S. government was “running Mexico.”
Mexican president Claudi Sheinbaum has consistently pushed back against the U.S. president and stated, “Mexico’s position against any form of intervention is firm, clear, and historic.”
Since September, the Trump administration has killed 115 people in more than 30 strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Federal officials have claimed some of those vessels were transporting drugs to the United States and indicated some of the passengers were members of drug cartels.
Trump stated, “The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch and see what’s happening to that country.” His comment came less than a week after U.S. Special Forces invaded Venezuela and captured leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores.
In November, the president told U.S. service members, “You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier.” These comments were concerning a land attack against drug traffickers in Venezuela. At the end of December, the president also stated the U.S. “hit a coastal drug loading facility” in the South American country, but offered no further details of the operation.
Congressional Response to Trump’s Actions
Opponents of the U.S. president have called for his third impeachment and the Senate passed a war powers resolution Thursday blocking further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval. Although the resolution is not likely to pass in the House of Representatives or signed into law by Trump.
The backlash, however, has not deterred Trump’s military ambitions. On Saturday, he said, “something’s going to have to be done,”concerning the drug cartels in Mexico. He said he offered to assist President Claudia Sheinbaum “take out” the cartels, but she reportedly refused. Trump said the Mexican president is “frightened” by the cartels.
Sheinbaum does not believe the U.S. will invade Mexico and stated she feels it is not something Trump is seriously considering. She stated, “We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries… For Mexico, sovereignty and self-determination are neither optional nor negotiable.”
According a report published by USA TODAY the president said in an interview with Sean Hannity with Fox News, “Mexico has to get their act together because they’re pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something. We’d love Mexico to do it. They’re capable of doing it. But unfortunately the cartels are very strong in Mexico.”
Sheibaum said she reached out to Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating a meeting was necessary. She stated Rubio spoke about the “good coordination on security matters with Mexico.” There has been a joint operation on security with the U.S. and her government is making progress dismantling drug laboratories, stated Sheinbaum
The New York Times questioned Trump concerning any limits to his power across the globe to which he responded, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” Then he was asked about adhering to international law, the president stated, “It depends on what your definition of international law is.”
By Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
Forbes: Trump Threatens Military Action Targeting Cartels in Mexico
Euronews: Trump signals US ground operations in Mexico to target drug cartels
Time Magazine: ‘We Are Going to Start Not Hitting Land’: Trump Threatens Military Campaign Against Cartels
CNBC: Trump suggests U.S. military will hit cartels on ‘land’ in Mexico
USA TODAY: Trump signals US to start ‘hitting’ cartels by land in Mexico
Featured Image Courtesy of amir’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
