Claudia Sheinbaum Responds to Trump's Remarks on Cartels, Urges U.S. to Stop Illegal Arms Flow and Fight Drug Addiction

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump announced the creation of a coalition aimed at fighting drug cartels in Latin America.

Leaders from across the region attended the summit, where Trump delivered strong remarks about combating drug trafficking organizations, particularly in Mexico, a country he described as the "epicenter of cartel violence."

"The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries," Trump said. "We have to use our military. You have to use your military."

After Trump again raised the possibility of using military force to combat organized crime, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was not among the leaders invited to the Shield of the Americas summit on March 7, pushed back and suggested the United States should focus on other steps to fight drug trafficking and cartels, such as addressing Americans' addiction to drugs and stopping the flow of illegal weapons south of the border.

"We believe there is something the United States can help us with, which is stopping the trafficking of illegal weapons into Mexico. The criminal groups, the weapons they have, at least 75 percent of them come from the United States," Sheinbaum said, citing a statistic confirmed by the U.S. Department of State that most of the guns used by criminal groups in Mexico were smuggled from the United States.

"If the flow of illegal weapons from the United States into Mexico were stopped, these groups wouldn't have access to this type of high-powered weaponry to carry out their criminal activities," Sheinbaum added.

At the summit, Trump directed criticism at Sheinbaum and mimicked her for refusing to accept direct U.S. military assistance.

"She's got a beautiful voice, a beautiful woman," Trump said before changing his voice to mimic her response when suggesting a military intervention in Mexico. "President. President. President. No, no, no. Please president."

Sheinbaum responded that Mexico maintains cooperation with the United States on intelligence and security matters, but operations within Mexican territory are the responsibility of Mexican institutions.

"It is good that President Trump says publicly that when he has proposed that the U.S. Army enter Mexico, we have said no. Because it is the truth. We have said no and we proudly continue to say no," Sheinbaum said.

Another point Sheinbaum emphasized in her response to Trump was drug consumption in the United States. The president said the flow of fentanyl crossing from Mexico toward the northern border has been reduced by half, but argued that domestic demand in the United States remains a major driver of the problem.

"There is a very important part that must be addressed, which is reducing drug use in the United States," Sheinbaum added.

Despite previously pushing Mexico and Sheinbaum's administration to combat cartels, the comments made by Trump over the weekend appeared to carry a more serious tone.

"We must recognize [that] the epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico," Trump said. "The Mexican cartels are fueling and orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere. And the United States government will do whatever is necessary to defend our national security and protect the safety of the American people."