President Donald Trump vowed to reassert American dominance against the “murderous” cartels in Mexico during the State of the Union Tuesday.
“As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” Trump said.
‘We’re also restoring American security and dominance.’
Trump’s remarks come just days after Mexico went up in flames following the death of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, one of the country’s “most sinister cartel kingpins.”
Oseguera Cervantes was the head of the notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel, whose vast and violent criminal enterprises prompted the Trump administration to classify it as a terrorist organization.
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Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images
“We’re also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference,” Trump said.
“For years, large swaths of territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico, … have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That’s why I designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.”
The cartel boss was captured by Mexican special forces on Sunday with the help of complementary American intelligence in Jalisco, igniting chaos across the country. In the moments after his elimination, footage showed a Costco engulfed in flames as well as firefights and roadblocks in the streets across Mexico.
The chaos prompted a shelter-in-place advisory from the State Department, leaving many tourists no other option but to hunker down at their resorts.
Trump’s warnings to cartels was not unique to Mexico. Tuesday night, the president reflected on the military campaign he led against alleged Venezuelan drug boats leading up to Nicolas Maduro’s capture, joking that his intervention impacted the drug business and the fishing business.
“Nobody wants to go fishing anymore!” he said.
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State of the union, Sotu, Donald trump, Cartels, El mencho, Mexico, Jalisco, Puerto vallarta, Costco, State department, Trump administration, Border crisis, Politics
