Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has again rejected U.S. threats to carry out military strikes on Mexican territory, saying “it’s not going to happen” and that Mexico will not request foreign intervention. She invoked the 19th‑century U.S.–Mexican War as a warning about the consequences of allowing foreign forces into Mexico. The dispute unfolds as the U.S. deploys the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford near Venezuela and reports destroying 21 suspected drug boats since September; analysts say the posture signals a tougher U.S. stance across Latin America.
Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Threat of Military Strikes: “We Do Not Want Intervention”
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has again rejected U.S. threats to carry out military strikes on Mexican territory, saying “it’s not going to happen” and that Mexico will not request foreign intervention. She invoked the 19th‑century U.S.–Mexican War as a warning about the consequences of allowing foreign forces into Mexico. The dispute unfolds as the U.S. deploys the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford near Venezuela and reports destroying 21 suspected drug boats since September; analysts say the posture signals a tougher U.S. stance across Latin America.
09:16 PM, 11/18/2025Politics
Mexico’s president firmly dismisses U.S. threats of strikes on Mexican soil
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on Tuesday again rejected repeated warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump that he could authorise military strikes against drug cartels operating inside Mexico. Responding to reporters, Sheinbaum said bluntly: “It’s not going to happen.”
Trump had said on Monday that he could approve strikes in Mexico to halt drug trafficking, adding: “Would I want strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs.” He also said he was “not happy with Mexico” and claimed U.S. authorities have drug corridors from Mexico “under major surveillance.”
The White House later clarified that any U.S. action would take place only with Mexico’s consent. Sheinbaum dismissed that scenario, saying her government “will not ask for it because we do not want intervention from any foreign government.”
“The last time the United States came to intervene in Mexico, they took half of the territory,” she warned, invoking the 19th‑century U.S.–Mexican War as a historical caution.
Sheinbaum, who took office a few months before President Trump returned to the White House, has been credited with maintaining a calm but firm tone in bilateral relations amid sustained pressure from Washington. Earlier this month she denied reports that the United States planned to send troops into Mexico and said she has repeatedly rebuffed such offers. “We do not agree with any process of interference or interventionism,” she said.
Despite these rebukes, Trump has continued to pressure Mexico — the United States’ largest trading partner — to do more to reduce the flow of drugs and migrants across the shared border. In October, he called Sheinbaum “a tremendous woman” and “a very brave woman,” while also asserting that “Mexico is run by the cartels.”
Regional military posture and wider political context
Trump’s latest warnings come as the U.S. has deployed a significant naval force in the southern Caribbean, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, operating near Venezuela. U.S. officials say the deployment is intended to disrupt drug shipments bound for the United States.
U.S. authorities have reported destroying 21 suspected drug‑trafficking boats since September; some reports say at least 83 people were killed in those operations. Human rights and international observers have raised concerns about civilian harm and legal authority in such actions.
Many analysts view the naval posture not only as an anti‑narcotics measure but also as leverage on Venezuela’s government. Critics of Nicolás Maduro say the deployment increases pressure on his administration after disputed elections last year.
Commenting on the administration’s approach to Latin America, Sen. Marco Rubio wrote that some countries are cooperating “enthusiastically — others, less so,” and added that the U.S. would reward cooperation while using its leverage to protect U.S. interests.
The exchange between Washington and Mexico illustrates an escalating diplomatic tension: Mexico’s leadership is publicly resisting any foreign military action on its soil, while the United States is pressing for stronger results on drug interdiction and migration control.