MEXICO CITY
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday responded to US President Donald Trump’s criticism of her government during his UN General Assembly address, in which he described Mexico as the “epicenter” of drug cartel activity.
“I could say: It’s very difficult to live next to a country with such a high level of illicit drug use; or I could say: It’s very difficult to live next to a country that produces so many weapons, but I’m not going to say that,” Sheinbaum told a morning news conference.
Trump has repeatedly pushed for intervention on Mexican territory to target drug cartels, claiming that criminal groups responsible for flooding the US with illicit drugs wield significant power in the country.
During his address to the UN General Assembly, Trump again criticized Mexico, describing the US’ southern neighbor as the “epicenter” of cartel violence.
The Sheinbaum administration has sought to push back against Trump’s pressure over security issues, including a request for the extradition of government officials from the ruling Morena Party accused by Washington of drug trafficking.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly expressed willingness to cooperate with the US while demanding respect for Mexico’s sovereignty, a position her administration has maintained since Trump’s return to the White House.
“I’m not going to say it. Why? Because we have a good relationship with President Trump and the US government; so we’re working in coordination and making progress,” said Sheinbaum.
More recently, US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole praised the Mexican government and its top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, for their efforts to combat drug trafficking, describing Harfuch as a key US ally during the 40th International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in Argentina in August.
