President Donald Trump vowed to reassert American dominance against Mexico’s “murderous” cartels during a State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” Trump stated.
The remarks followed days of chaos in Mexico after the death of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, one of the country’s “most sinister cartel kingpins.” The Jalisco New Generation cartel leader—designated a terrorist organization by the Trump administration—was captured by Mexican special forces with U.S. intelligence assistance on Sunday. His elimination triggered widespread violence across Mexico, including fires at a Costco store and street confrontations, prompting the State Department to issue a shelter-in-place advisory.
“We’re also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere,” Trump added. “Acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference.” The president cited years of Mexican territory being controlled by violent cartels as justification for designating them as foreign terrorist organizations.
Trump also referenced his military campaign against alleged Venezuelan drug boats that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro, quipping: “Nobody wants to go fishing anymore!”
