At her Friday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum responded forcefully when asked about the possibility of the United States military bombing cartel targets on Mexican soil.
During her final mañanera of the week, the president also revealed that her Foreign Affairs Minister had spoken to the United States Ambassador to Mexico about a statement issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Monday.
US bomb attack against Mexican cartels ‘won’t happen,’ Sheinbaum says
A reporter referred to remarks made on Thursday by DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, telling the president that he “didn’t dare to rule out the possibility that President Trump might carry out a bombing in Mexican territory against drug cartels.”
She asked Sheinbaum whether she saw a U.S. strike against cartels as a possibility.
“No,” the president said emphatically before pausing for five seconds to give even more emphasis to her response.
“Mexico is a free, independent and sovereign country, and no foreign government would dare to violate our sovereignty,” Sheinbaum declared.
▶️ “México es un país libre, independiente y soberano y ningún gobierno extranjero se atrevería a violar nuestra soberanía”: Sheinbaum descarta bombardeo de EU contra cárteles
📺 Sigue #LaMañaneraDelPueblo en @mileniotv pic.twitter.com/M6U8aiVYkD
— Milenio (@Milenio) August 22, 2025
“It’s not like before. Mexico has a lot of strength — national and international [strength] because of our people, because of what we represent as a government of the people,” she said.
“So, no, that won’t happen,” she said, referring to the possibility of a U.S. bombing against cartels in Mexico.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Cole was asked whether he would “support the bombing of the Mexican drug cartels.”
He responded:
“So I know that’s been in the paper the last few days. I know that decision lies with the president. The men and women of the DEA will support the decision that comes from the president. We will complete the mission, but let’s remember we have been at war with these cartels for the last 40 years. The men and women of DEA have been consistent, they’ve been at the forefront, they’ve been at the tip of the spear, this is what we do and we will continue to support the mission and the orders that come down from the president of the United States.”
His remarks came two weeks after The New York Times reported that Trump had “secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations.”
On Friday morning, Sheinbaum suggested that her government would consider a U.S. bomb strike on Mexican cartels as an act of war against Mexico.
“As I’ve said: any attempt, we have the national anthem, [el cielo] un soldado en cada hijo te dio,” she said.
The English translation of that line of the (bellicose) Mexican national anthem is “heaven gave you a soldier in every son.”
Sheinbaum: Foreign minister spoke to US ambassador about DEA statement
Sheinbaum told reporters that Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente spoke to U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson on Tuesday about the statement the DEA released on Monday.
In its statement, the DEA announced what it called a “bold bilateral initiative to dismantle cartel gatekeepers and combat synthetic drug trafficking.”
Sheinbaum subsequently said that Mexico hadn’t agreed to participate in any such initiative. She told reporters on Tuesday that de la Fuente would speak to Johnson and ask him why the DEA statement was published without the knowledge of the Mexican government.
Sheinbaum denies DEA agreement on anti-cartel operation, calls agency statement unauthorized
Sheinbaum said on Friday that Mexico’s foreign minister told the ambassador that “information provided by U.S. government institutions” — when the information pertains to the security relationship between Mexico and the U.S. — “has to be within the framework” of agreed cooperation between the two countries.
“And the ambassador agreed,” she said.
Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico wants to collaborate with the United States on security issues, but doesn’t want the U.S. government to issue “statements that provide incorrect information.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
