Take Trump's Cartel War Rhetoric Seriously

When Trump says that he wants to something destructive and stupid, we should assume that he really means to do it and respond accordingly.

Radley Balko reminds us that Trump has promised to launch attacks in Mexico if he is president again:

The Mexican government has been pretty clear about where it stands on this: They would not consent. So let’s be clear about what Trump is proposing: He’s proposing an invasion of Mexico. Which means he’s a proposing a war with Mexico.

Trump’s history with this threat suggests we should take it more seriously than the typical bluster he spouts during one of his campaign rally monoglogues. Rolling Stone reported last year that even then he had already asked his advisors to assemble a “battle plan” to enact shortly after he’s elected. He also reiterated his promise in an interview he and running mate JD Vance did with Fox News last month (Vance is also all for it).

Using the U.S. military to attack Mexican cartels would be stupid, ineffective, and illegal, as I have discussed before, so the only surprising thing here is that Trump didn’t already do it when he was in the White House earlier. Trump’s hawkishness on this issue is what we should expect from a militarist like him, but we should also bear in mind that most Republicans are now on board with the ludicrous idea of bombing and shooting our way out of a drug crisis. It is something that unites Republicans in Washington from Lindsey Graham to Tom Cotton to J.D. Vance. Whatever disagreements they might have elsewhere, they are all in favor of the stupidest possible war right here in our own hemisphere.