Donald Trump, in a Fox and Friends interview, claimed that the cartels govern Mexico instead of its president, which fueled his administration's negotiating power.
On January 3, 2026, Donald Trump made a controversial statement during an interview with Fox and Friends, declaring that the drug cartels effectively govern Mexico rather than its elected officials, particularly referring to President Claudia Sheinbaum. This assertion resonated throughout Mexican media, creating a significant stir. Trump's comments reflected a long-standing narrative that his administration had been cultivating regarding U.S.-Mexico relations, which had implications for negotiations over trade and security matters like the USMCA (T-MEC in Mexico).
Trump's framing of the issue positioned cartels as a primary concern that justified U.S. intervention in Mexico's internal matters. By blurring the lines between security and trade discussions, he allowed Washington to push for a renegotiation of trade agreements from a standpoint that challenged Mexico’s sovereignty and painted it as a weak state unable to control organized crime. His administration took drastic measures by designating six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and labeling fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction in order to leverage economic and military pressure on Mexico.
This rhetoric had profound implications for U.S. foreign policy towards Mexico, especially under a backdrop of rising drug violence and Congressional interest in stricter enforcement measures. By positioning Mexico as a nation besieged by cartels, Trump not only altered the tenor of bilateral discussions but also enabled the imposition of tariffs and heightening of military intervention rhetoric aimed at addressing the drug crisis, thereby significantly shifting the dynamics of how both countries interacted on security and trade issues.
