Mexico agrees to cooperate with Trump, but not in the way he keeps suggesting

According to Yahoo News, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a 15-minute phone call with President Trump focused on security cooperation between the two countries. Sheinbaum said the conversation was “very good,” but reiterated that Mexico would not allow U.S. military involvement in operations against drug cartels on Mexican soil.

The call followed a tense week in which President Trump again claimed that Mexico is effectively controlled by criminal organizations. Sheinbaum requested the conversation after those remarks, seeking to clarify Mexico’s position while reaffirming its commitment to cooperation on shared security concerns.

While Trump repeated his offer to deploy U.S. forces, Sheinbaum rejected the proposal once more. She said Mexico’s sovereignty and territorial integrity made such involvement unnecessary and that the president understood her position.

Cooperation continues, but sovereignty remains nonnegotiable

Sheinbaum said Trump “still insisted that if we ask for it, they could help” with military forces, but she declined again during the call. She told him that current efforts were working and that foreign troops were not needed, reinforcing Mexico’s long-standing stance against outside military intervention.

The conversation also touched on recent U.S. actions in the region, including developments involving Venezuela. Trump asked for Sheinbaum’s view on the situation, and she responded that Mexico’s constitution clearly opposes interventions, ending the discussion on that point. The exchange comes as questions continue to swirl around recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela, including reports about unusual military tactics and their impact.

Trump has continued to use strong rhetoric publicly. He claimed the U.S. had stopped 97% of drugs entering by water and said the administration would now focus on land routes, adding that cartels were “running Mexico.”

Despite those statements, both governments agreed to keep working together on security. Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente recently spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for “tangible results” and increased cooperation to dismantle criminal organizations. The pressure mirrors Trump’s broader foreign policy posture, which has also been on display in other regions, including Iran, where mixed signals have followed sharp public threats.

Sheinbaum said Mexico is already delivering results, citing a drop in homicides, declining U.S. fentanyl seizures, and fewer overdose deaths. She argued that these outcomes support Mexico’s approach and show that military intervention is unnecessary.

The two leaders did not discuss Cuba during the call, though tensions remain over U.S. policy toward the island. Mexico maintains close ties with Cuba and supplies it with oil, a situation complicated by U.S. pressure and blocked Venezuelan shipments.