Trump is eager to breach Mexico’s sovereignty to attack cartels, officials say — just don’t call it an invasion

A new directive signed last week by President Donald Trump gives the Pentagon authorization to use military force against Latin American drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations, according to administration sources.

A U.S. official familiar with the matter confirmed to Rolling Stone certain details regarding the Trump-signed directive, which was first reported by The New York Times. Other knowledgeable sources, working in or close to this iteration of the Trump White House, say that unless Mexico gives Trump what he wants, this administration is serious about attacking its neighbor to the south. And according to administration officials and others familiar with the Trump administration preparations, it’s not a bluff: This American president wants to violently breach Mexico’s sovereignty — if and when he feels like it. He, after all, effectively campaigned on doing so during his 2024 bid.

Just don’t call any of this a plan for an invasion, U.S. government officials implore.

Speaking about the new directive, a senior administration official says, “It’s not a negotiating tactic. It’s not Art of the Deal. The president has been clear that a strike … is coming unless we see some big, major changes.”

  • rozodru@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    ok as a naive Canadian can I just ask…What’s the point of saying “Epstein list” over and over?

    I know he’s on it, you know he’s on it, everyone knows he’s on it so if/when it does come to light that he is INFACT on it and it’s proven in black and white…then what? he gets removed from office? someone starts an impeachment process that goes no where? cause all the other motions for impeachment have worked out well. Or he and his administration and the rest of the GOP simply ignore it and continue on their fascist path.

    I just don’t understand it. Based on what I’ve seen and read nothing would happen.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      MAGA has been largely driven by the idea of globalist pedophilic sex trafficking rings. They were literally shooting up a pizza parlor because it supposedly ran child rape in its basement - when the place didn’t even have a basement. They believe there’s a video of Hillary Clinton ripping a child’s face off to get high on “adenochrome.”

      And the reality is that there was a high level sex trafficking ring for the wealthy and powerful, that was covered up by various high level interests - but that their “savior” figure who was supposed to expose it was always in on it.

      The hope is that MAGA idiots will see this and turn on him. But the reality is they won’t. It’s turned into a religion. Alex Jones seemed like he was going to break back when they first started denying the files exist, but he’s fully back on the Trump train.

      It’s a hope that this will finally be the straw that breaks the camels back - that they will realize that their Christ has always been an Antichrist, coming from a misguided belief that these people are capable of seeing reason.

    • JustARaccoon@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      It’s hope that MAGA will turn on him once they see the list, because him not releasing them is actually frustrating quite a few of them who voted with this as their primary issue when trump was using it as a platform.

      • Naxxxsfw@lemmynsfw.com
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        1 hour ago

        Nah it’s not hope for maga to wake up it’s to ensure maga can’t easily run away from it and pretend he’s not on the list and instead the oem that will bring all the pedos to justice lol

      • Zink@programming.dev
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        4 hours ago

        Never has the world witnessed such a wave of the stupidest people suddenly changing their minds because of a new piece of evidence. Oh, it would be amazing!

        My instinct is to say I’m not holding my breath. But in this case, since it’s not just the ordinary people involved but some of the spreaders of propaganda, I can at least imagine a plausible outcome where this one sticks. And by “plausible” I mean in the sense of a meme of Dr Strange holding up one finger towards Jim Carrey who replies “so you’re saying there’s a chance.”

        • meep_launcher@sh.itjust.works
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          2 hours ago

          It’s like when Jordan Klepper was interviewing Trump supporters. There was one interview where he was talking to a woman who insisted Trump was innocent of intimidating witnesses, and when he pulled solid logic to show he was guilty, she responded “I don’t care”.

    • Southrydge Freedom@lemdro.id
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      4 hours ago

      Basically my same thoughts as an American myself. But the MAGA crowd is honestly tiring and annoying, I try to be in the middle about everything but MAGA is a cult, a very misinformed and arrogant one. I would love to see things go back to pre-MAGA. It’s made this country more divided than ever (not that it wasn’t before, but it was tolerable). I think the era of social media and it’s algorithms has made both sides be so hostile towards each other, there’s a great documentary explaining why, called The Social Dilemma.

    • meep_launcher@sh.itjust.works
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      2 hours ago

      I know, it’s been so obvious to me that Epstein was a distraction, and the stuff on top of that was a distraction from the distraction.

      Nothing will come of the Epstein list just like nothing came from the Panama papers, and ultimately Trump will die one day, but the damage he’s done to our institutions will stay. Him being a pedophile won’t change any of that.

      Basically I put news in 2 categories:

      1. Actual impactful policy
      2. Keeping up with the Kardashians

      Epstein is category 2 for all I’m concerned. Nothing will happen to Trump. At worst he doesn’t serve a 3rd term, which is fine, but his base isn’t going to just embrace democracy after this.

  • SabinStargem@lemmy.today
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    4 hours ago

    I think that Mexico’s government and the cartels might actually agree to set aside their differences. Trump and his goons would send all Mexicans to death camps, regardless of whether they are actual criminals.

    • Zink@programming.dev
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      4 hours ago

      God damn, through his psycho filter Mexico probably just looks like trillions of dollars of tropical beach front property that needs to be cleared of the natives and any other dangerous wildlife.

  • lack@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    Wait, are you trying to tell me that this is some sort of diversion by Donald Trump, the convicted rapist and close friend of Jeffrey Epstein? That Donald Trump? The one who bought a teenage beauty pageant and constantly stormed in back stage to peep kids? The one who, in a complete 180 pivot from their campaigning, is moving heaven and earth to divert attention away from the Epstein files? I… I need a minute to process all this.

  • Event_Horizon@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    I’m going to paste here a comment I made from 10 months ago

    Ya know I realise this is complete conspiracy theory.

    However, I’m still willing to give a 2-5% chance that if Trump gets back into power, within the last 12-18 months of his presidency he’ll declare a special operation into North Mexico to ‘secure the border’, ‘stop the illegal immigrants’ and ‘remove the drug cartels’.

    Then he’ll claim it’s too dangerous to hold the election, or not appropriate, or whatever excuse because of the special operation. And then he’ll postpone the election with the approval of the SC as a presidential duty and therefore not illegal.

    And I know this is insane but every time I ask myself “would trump attempt something like this?” The answer is always “yes”

  • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    Shit children, every military has plans to attack everyone else on the planet-- friend or foe. It’s what they do when they ain’t got no real war to fight. It’s just none of you here have ever noticed. And by tomorrow you will have forgotten about it again.

    • Ledivin@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      So you just didn’t read the whole thing, or what?

      Speaking about the new directive, a senior administration official says, “It’s not a negotiating tactic. It’s not Art of the Deal. The president has been clear that a strike … is coming unless we see some big, major changes.”

  • nymnympseudonym@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Imagine a timeline where the USA, Mexico, Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world’s democracies that at least try to be diverse, equitable, and inclusionary… were all working together to minimize friction among their liberalized economies and cultures.

    We’d be a spacefaring species within a generation or two.

    • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Its too bad we spent the last 50 or so years chasing the dragon of profit and letting it divide us. Profit. Some shit we made the fuck up.

      • RangerAndTheCat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        I think there is still plenty of pages in the dark chapter we currently find ourselves in to make that prophecy true since the bell roots turned out to be a different timeline

        • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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          24 hours ago

          Ngl I watched both episodes of Past Tense on September 1st 2024, if for nothing else then a memorial.

          But here we are. This is what’s happening. This is where we live.

  • aramova@infosec.pub
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    1 day ago

    Trump is eager to breach Mexico’s sovereignty to attack cartels, officials say - just don’t call it an invasion

    It’s a Special Military Operation. When the Mustard Mussolini is done fondling Putin’s balls he’ll have him explain how he pulled it off.

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    The DoD draws up attack plans on every country. I would be more surprised if this didn’t exist.

    • Aqarius@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      Yeah, it’s practically an exercise for the operations people. The news is that there’s interest in putting it into action, not the plan itself.

      • SabinStargem@lemmy.today
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        3 hours ago

        Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump ignores those existing plans and just bum rushes the border, without any logistics whatsoever.

      • Zink@programming.dev
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        3 hours ago

        Nah, we’re dealing with psychos here.

        They still exist, but now Russia has a copy.

        Plus, Trump has other Russia attack plans being drawn up by a secret second military headed by a random other grifter that found the right combination of gold plated baubles and ass kissing.