White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that even though the administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has made “historic strides” in cracking down on cartels, President Donald Trump is “very interested in taking additional measures” against criminal organizations.
Speaking during a briefing at the White House, Leavitt emphasized that the Sheinbaum administration has been “incredibly cooperative with the president’s efforts at the southern border to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sends stern warning to drug cartels after anti-cartel Gen-Z protests erupt in Mexico:
“Now, the President is very interested in taking additional measures against the drug cartels.”
— Bienvenido (@bienvenido_us) November 20, 2025
However, she added, Trump is looking at potential additional measures. “His national security team is discussing options all the time,” and “additional options are at his disposal,” Leavitt added.
Trump had said earlier this week that would be “ok” with launching strikes in Mexico to target cartels, contradicting Secretary of State Marco Rubio who last week saying such a situation would not take place.
“Whatever we have to do to stop drugs. There are big problems in Mexico City. If we have to do there what we’ve done in the waterways… there are almost no drugs coming through the waterways. Isn’t it down like 85?” Trump said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, however, has repeatedly rejected the possibility of such a scenario taking place. Last week she reiterated that a U.S. military in the country is “ruled out,” highlighting an “agreement” between the two nations.
Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference that the agreement “guarantees the sovereignty” of Mexico “even if there are some political figures in the country asking” for a U.S. intervention.
Marco Rubio, on his end, had rejected the possibility of unilaterally sending troops into the country or carrying out a strike, a statement that stood in contrast with a report from a week prior claiming such a scenario could take place.
“We’re not going to take unilateral action and send American forces into Mexico. But we can help them with equipment, training, intelligence sharing. They have to ask for it,” Rubio told press.
Originally published on Latin Times
