(RepublicanInformer.com)- The New York Times released a new report this week that said former President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed his advisors about sending U.S. troops into Mexico to hunt down members of drug cartels.
His aides pushed back on those ideas every time, though.
In 2019, Trump issued some harsh words after three American women and six American children were killed by gunmen belonging to a cartel in Mexico. After that happened, he tweeted:
“If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively. The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!
“This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth. We merely await a call from your great new president!”
Andres Manual Lopez Obrador, the president of Mexico, responded that he appreciated the help that Trump was offering — and that other foreign leaders would offer — but that Mexico would “have to act with independence” in this case.
In private, Trump was asking many of his top aides focused on national security about whether the U.S. could send troops into Mexico to hunt down members of the drug cartels. The Times, citing officials who were around for those discussions, said there was some concerns that Trump was considering action on a unilateral basis.
Mexico has a long-standing history of cooperation of fighting back against cartels with the help of the United States. The two border nations often roll out joint operations by law enforcement agencies.
Trump, though, was proposing something more along the lines of international military operations the U.S. initiated against terrorists in countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The former president’s aides fought back against those wishes, saying that if the United States were to take unilateral action without getting permission from the government of Mexico, other countries may see it as an act of war. They argued that such a situation would be especially damaging since Mexico is such a major trading partner and close ally.
Apparently, according to the Times report, the responses by his aide’s convinced Trump to pause on the idea. Ultimately, of course, the idea never actually materialized into military action.
At that time as well, Stephen Miller — who was working on immigration plans for the Trump administration — was trying to push the Department of Homeland Security to deploy up to 250,000 troops to the southern border.
Mark Esper, the secretary of defense, wouldn’t consider such a move. While that idea was presented in meetings at the White House, it was never formally given as a presentation to Trump for his approval.
