Trump: "Mexico Does What We Tell It To"

This article originally appeared in the August 14, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that the Mexican government does what Washington asks, during a press conference in the Oval Office on Thursday.

“Mexico does what we tell them to do.” The president added, “Canada also does what we tell them to do, because we have two borders, to the north and to the south.” He also pointed out that the United States’ borders with both countries “used to be horrible, but now some say it’s a miracle.”

Trump reiterated that his administration is closing the borders and that everyone respects his country again, “They really respect this country again… now they know it means a lot.”

The president compared that unlike the Joe Biden administration, when the former president “always asked for legislation (to regulate border crossings)” he (Trump) “did not need one.”

“I have nothing to do with it. Zero people in three months, and last year we had millions of people arriving from all over the world, from prisons, from drug addicts, gang members, drug dealers by the thousands, 11,888 murderers, half of whom committed more than one murder.”