Messaging Guidance:

Trump’s Reckless Plan to Go to War in Mexico

May 2024

 

Background:

Donald Trump, a man who falsely claimed to oppose the Iraq War and has baselessly asserted that the United States was not at war during his presidency, has repeatedly proposed bombing and even invading Mexico – a sovereign state and the top trading partner of the United States. Trump is proposing a reckless and dangerous new conflict that would cost billions of taxpayer dollars and put American lives at risk. 

Talking Points:

  • Donald Trump, a man who falsely claimed to oppose the Iraq War and has baselessly asserted that the United States was not at war during his presidency, now reportedly wants to start a war in Mexico – a sovereign state, neighbor, and close trading partner of the United States.

  • There’s no doubt that drug trafficking is a real crisis for the United States – and one that deserves serious solutions. More than 200,000 people have died from synthetic-opioid overdoses since 2020, and millions more suffer from addiction each and every day.

  • But it’s also clear that a military conflict in Mexico would make an already challenging situation worse. We share nearly 2,000 miles of a border with Mexico. Any conflict would create chaos and violence in the country, which would inevitably have disastrous consequences for us right here at home.

  • Military experts have warned strongly against this plan. And Mexico’s President has made it clear that he would oppose such an effort. And history tells us that Trump’s war in Mexico would do nothing to prevent drug trafficking or address the addiction crisis in the U.S.

  • Trump’s plan would likely increase violence in Mexico, which has already seen more than 360,000 murders since the state declared war on the cartels in 2006. And that violence would almost certainly spill over into the United States, threatening our safety and wellbeing right here at home.

  • A war in Mexico – one of the United States’ largest trading partners – would also have disastrous economic consequences, especially in border states that depend on a strong bilateral commercial relationship with our southern neighbor. 

  • And on top of all that, Trump’s shortsighted plan to attack Mexico would create further chaos, which could lead to historic spikes in migration and further challenges for our already strained immigration system.

  • Rather than spending billions of dollars and risking American lives in another country, the United States would be better served by using those resources right here at home – investing in the border security, addiction services, and law enforcement necessary to truly address this crisis. Which is exactly what the Biden-Harris Administration is doing:

    • Engaging in the diplomacy necessary to work with Chinese President Xi Jinping to prevent fentanyl production – both in Mexico and China.

    • Investing in law enforcement and border security to address illicit fentanyl trafficking and enable historic seizures of illicit fentanyl along the border with Mexico.

    • Pursuing a whole-of-government approach that invests in public health and treatment to support the American people here at home.