President Trump was making a “lighthearted” comment to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto about sending troops into Mexico to fight drug cartels, according to a White House official.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported on an excerpt it obtained from the phone call between the two on Friday. “You have a bunch of bad hombres down there,” Trump reportedly said. “You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.”
The AP on Thursday quoted the White House saying Trump wasn’t threatening Pena Nieto with American military involvement in his domestic affairs, but was referencing cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico in fighting drug cartels. The White House official confirmed Trump also told Pena Nieto he has some “bad hombres” in his country.
“Those comments, while lighthearted, were part of a discussion about how the United States and Mexico could work collaboratively to combat drug cartels and other criminal elements, and make the border more secure,” the official told the AP.
Trump’s statements to Pena Nieto are another bump in Trump’s diplomatic road this week.
Reports surfaced Wednesday night Trump yelled at Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a deal between Turnbull and President Barack Obama to accept 1,250 refugees held in Australian camps.
