President Donald Trump warned in a phone call with his Mexican counterpart that he was ready to send US troops to stop “bad hombres down there” unless the Mexican military does more to control them – comments the White House described as “lighthearted”.
The White House said Thursday that the remarks, in an excerpt obtained by The Associated Press from a transcript of the hourlong conversation, 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.”
You have a bunch of bad hombres down there. 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.Trump told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto
The comments came last Friday in a phone call between Trump and Pena Nieto. The excerpt from the transcript did not detail exactly whom Trump considers “bad hombres,” nor did it make clear the tone and context of the remark.
The remark offers a rare and striking look at how the new president is conducting diplomacy behind closed doors. Trump's remarks suggest he is using the same bravado with world leaders that he used to rally crowds on the campaign trail.
Eduardo Sanchez, spokesman for Mexico's presidential office, said the conversation was respectful, not hostile or humiliating. “It is absolutely false that the president of the United States threatened to send troops to Mexico,” Sanchez said in an interview with Radio Formula on Wednesday night.
(With inputs from AP)