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© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.White House: Trump comments on sending troops to Mexico 'lighthearted'
By VIVIAN SALAMA WASHINGTON©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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nostromo
barely 2 weeks into the job and he's threatening foreign military interventions....
PTownsend
Who's the White House? And how is
in any way lighthearted? Trump (the White House?) leads the biggest, most expensive and most destructive military the planet has ever seen. I can't see anything lighthearted about what he said.
Great leaders are great communicators. Trump isn't a great communicator, but what do you expect from a man who uses Twitter and communicates using fuhrer than 140 characters.
And by using 'the White House', are the media protecting Trump himself?
As a lifelong manipulator of corporate media, a man who just went to a prayer breakfast plugging one of his TV investments, Trump really is one of their darlings.
SenseNotSoCommon
Classic bullying behaviour.
Mr. Trump, as an authority figure, your very flatulence is construed as orders. Can it.
Dango bong
why not? Obama sent troops to Pakistan to kill Bin Laden. Why not Mexico too?
Harry_Gatto
Interesting that your text editor has inserted that word, it must have known who you were writing about.
Mike L
He should just nuke Mexico and be done with it.
I wonder if he has suggested that yet?
CrazyJoe
REMINDER: Republicans now have a guy (Trump) who makes his ties in China, suits in Bangladesh and foreign policy in Moscow going around the country shouting, "AMERICA FIRST!"
cleo
A man in a pub spouting to his drinking buddies, 'We should send in the military' is low level, but acceptable. It happens. Bar talk. We've all heard it, we know it can be ignored.
The man in the White House spouting the same down the phone to his neighbour is not acceptable at all. It cannot be ignored.
Moron.
Fred Wallace
Reminder : Actions speak louder, time will tell!!
paulinusa
Trump's jokes are real killers.
Strangerland
I said that he would see an improvement in ratings after refusing to pay for the wall. Looks like I was right.
PTownsend
Re 'foreign policy in Moscow', is that an action you too are pushing for? Do you think by having the US side with Putin, America could ever be 'first' (whatever that means).
Putin's richer than Trump https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2013-09-17/vladimir-putin-the-richest-man-on-earth
Putin's more powerful than Trump http://www.forbes.com/profile/vladimir-putin/
Putin's smarter than Trump (but then so's my neighbor's Akita).
Trump would only be second - at best - to Putin. Russia would be first.
Why won't Trump release his business info to show his ties to oligarchs around the world?
heynong
Mexico is not like other nations. Since USA was founded in 1776, it has become punch bag for US and lost the California and Texas to US. There is new Mexico in US. Real Mexico is still old Mexico. That joke was the insult for Mexican people and their President.
Commander in Chief has privilege for launching nuclear missiles. If Trump said, I will nuke Mexico asap, Is it still a lighthearted joke?
During his primaries, Trump targeting audience were poor, broke, unemployed and blue collar workers in the outback of USA. Trump Combative and outspokenness were entertaining and acceptable. Now he is the real head of the states and leader of the western world.
However the way he talk is nothing different from Yakuza gangsters or street hawkers.
Americans have elected half boy half man as President. Even he is 70, he still acts like 5 years old school yard bully boy.
Citizen2012
If true, it will be an invasion of a sovereign country...foreign troops taking down civilian, an act of war, US army should stay in US land. Every country has "bad hombres" including US too, since when it is a reason to send foreign army there ?
katsu78
You guys voted for the warmonger.
Strangerland
While going on and on calling Hillary a warmongerm
gokai_wo_maneku
Trump spin doctors have a REAL fill-time job.
dcog9065
Jesus, this is getting out of control. Suspiciously, his attacks seem to be focused on America's closest allies; Mexico, Germany, Japan, Australia, although China and Iran have made it in. It seems like deliberate sabotage at this point
u_s__reamer
"The White House" makes jokes about military intervention in Mexico, but Trump playing "Commander-in-Chief" ( a title properly bestowed on the POTUS ONLY in a time of war) made his first (disastrous) decision to attack in Yemen killing civilians including an 8 year-old girl who happened to be the third member of the al-Awlaki family who were all US citizens whose lives were unlawfully terminated. Although the media have, as is their wont, already circled their wagons around Trump to limit the damage to America's image and fragile national ego by under-reporting this potentially toxic story, this the first of Trump's military actions does not auger well for a stable foreign policy. Mexico, given the historical record of their northern neighbor's bad faith, had better watch out for the orange gringo in La Casa Blanca: he's a malo hombre and muy loco!
pointofview
If they only focused more on the hate, violent and disgusting comments coming from Hollywood ie. Whedon and Apatow we could get them thrown in the slammer.
bass4funk
Exactly! If Mexico doesn't have the desire or will to aggressively go after the Cartels, then we should 100%! Good on Trump for putting Mexico on high notice, it's enough. Growing up half of my life in LA, I have seen in my field enough dead bodies and violence and gangs from the Mexican Mafia or Los Zetas and The Juárez Cartel or some of the most ferocious viola and scariest groups out there and for far too long has Mexico allowed these gangs to not only destroy their country, but are totally inept stopping them from entering the US.
Shishio
Those "bad hombres" do all their killing with guns bought in the U.S., paid for with money earned by supplying non bad hombre? U.S. citizens demand for coke, weed, crack, whatever. Guess you need altered reality to deal with life undertake half man/half mouth that lost the election by 3 million votes.
bass4funk
Bill Clinton thought the same as well.
Let's never forget that.
Strangerland
Yep, deflect the attention away from a president who is threatening to invade a sovereign nation (just look at Iraq to see how well that worked last time), by criticizing Hollywood.
Team politics FTW!
plasticmonkey
Some other "lighthearted" comments from Trump:
“I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”
“My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body.”
“I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I’m more honest and my women are more beautiful.”
“Lyin’ Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin’ Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!”
“You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of a$$.”
At least the man is consistent. He's just as "lighthearted" about foreign policy as he is about women.
rainyday
So great, war with Mexico now? Because they aren't paying for Trump's wall, or whatever it is that got him in a bad mood. Then I guess Australia is next because Trump missed his nap time and got grumpy on the phone with their PM too.
Nothing to be worried about, he has clearly "pivoted' from campaign mode to sombre statesman mode just like everyone assured us he would.
bass4funk
They had a great free ride for 40 years, about time their gravy train stopped.
Because they aren't paying for Trump's wall, or whatever it is that got him in a bad mood. Then I guess Australia is next because Trump missed his nap time and got grumpy on the phone with their PM too.
They'll pay, that's not a question of "if" more like which would be the best way. As for Australia, because they don't want to be burdened with questionable refugees that Obama said, he would take in, doesn't mean that Trump HAS TO to follow up on that former request. Australia doesn't want these refugees and mos Americans don't want them. We should push the Muslim nations to take them, that would be a better solution and if they need financial assistance, help them with it.
How so? He's doing exactly what he said he would do on the campaign, he's moving lightning fast and good on him for doing it and keeping his promise. 2nd term insured!
rainyday
If he gets a second term, we'll all need insurance.
Jimizo
"Trump tasked his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner — a real estate executive with no foreign policy experience — with managing the ongoing dispute, according to an administration official with knowledge of the call."
Very reassuring. I'm just off to the opticians to ask about my tax rebate.
Maria
Typical bullying and abusive behaviour. Make threats (or as they like to call them in his case, campaign promises), renege on some, pretend to be joking about others, and all the while being aggressive and carrying out other threats.
u_s__reamer
Kushner is reportedly "furious" with his "out-of-control" father-in-law for wrecking his negotiations to set up a meeting between the POTUS and the Mexican President. Javanka's influence is apparently waning, so their swift departure from the inner circle may be the beginning of Trump's "revolving door" administration that is likely to exceed the record held ny St. Ronnie's regime.
Blacklabel
Really interesting world we have. Mexican President claiming that it was never said at all and called out the Associated Press for fake news.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mexico-deny-donald-trump-send-troops-over-us-mexico-border-president-enrique-pena-nieto-american-a7558526.html
Strangerland
It might be fake news - it's a single anonymous official that said it.
It could also be Trump himself telling someone to release it to make him look tough, his supporters love that.
bass4funk
Not necessarily about religion, but these refugees are Muslim, if their fellow Muslim brethren can give them aid and assistance, that would be much better for the refugees, they can all relate. Better for everyone.
I think he's still trying to get the insurance from Obama to cover and clean the next 4 years of the disasters he left behind.
Fouxdefa
If my coworker says "you're fired!" ok, that's lighthearted. If my boss did the same thing though, I'd be taken aback. A position of authority gives such words a lot of weight.
It's common gas-lighting behavior as well, "I was joking, you're too sensitive" to get out of criticism.
Raw Beer
... or it could be military assistance: it was “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.”
I would actually consider it less an invasion of a sovereign country than their presence in Japan. At least in Mexico, they would be directly addressing a real and active threat.
... or guns provided directly by Obama's Fast and Furious.
bass4funk
Very hard to unseat a president in his second term, if Trump can get the economy on track, lower taxes, get rid of all the regulations, build up the military, secure the borders, he'll do another 4 years easily.
bass4funk
Very hard to unseat a president in his second term, if Trump can get the economy on track, lower taxes, get rid of all the regulations, build up the military, secure the borders, he'll do another 4 years easily.
pointofview
@Jimizo,,
Well...your politicians haven`t done much of a job have they?
@Strangerland,
He hasn`t talked about invading any sovereign land.
goldorak
Am a fairly laidback guy and don't mind a casual/relaxed tone (even during business convos) but a/ am not potus, b/what DT is doing is not only unprofessional but also rude and culturally insensitive, especially in the current tense context.
'Hombre' or any other Spanish word from an anglo to an hispanophone is imo very condescending and incredibly rude especially when you've just 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 fact DT thinks it's basically 'only' light-hearted banter shows how out-of-touch he is. The bloke has absolutely no idea what's appropriate or not, when, where, who with etc.
Strangerland
Since when is Mexico not sovereign?
JaneM
Comment: So great, war with Mexico now?
Retort: They had a great free ride for 40 years, about time their gravy train stopped. I wish I could say that stupid is as stupid does and be over with it but I am afraid we will be seeing much worse for some time.
lostrune2
Trump is likely just joking
But given the current circumstances and animosity, it's probably not a good time to make such a joke
There's a time and place - ya can make such jokes with friends, but when you're not friends, then ya should know not to make such jokes because it won't be taken as a good-hearted joke
nishikat
Mexico will not pay for the wall. And the wall won't be built anyway. All those Mexicans will keep coming into the USA and it will be Trump's fault. Then Trump will have amnesty like Reagan did.
bass4funk
Mexico will not pay for the wall. And the wall won't be built anyway.
They don't have to, we'll take it from other sources, not a problem. Congress, already gave the green light.
Not likely to happen, the days of freebies and gravy trains are coming to a screeching halt.
Moderator: Once again, we ask you to stop using the word "we." Please repost.
SenseNotSoCommon
...just like its sense of humour as Mexico has once again been reminded.
Ref: Black, M., and Rosenthal, M. (2017) A Child's First Book of Trump. Simon and Schuster.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481488007?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1481488007&linkCode=xm2&tag=thewaspos09-20
Raw Beer
He hasn`t talked about invading
Strangerland
Yes he did:
If you send your military into another country without their permission, that's an invasion.
But hey, I'm sure that fact won't stop your post-truthism©
Raw Beer
Where does the article say it's without Mexico's permission?
“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.”
SenseNotSoCommon
Also on Planet Stoopid:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/house-votes-to-scrap-obama-rule-on-background-checks-for-gun-ownership-a7560421.html
Perhaps Trump will send a volunteer army. The Mexicans will build the wall themselves.
Strangerland
Requiring permission is the default. That's how international law works.
So where is Trump saying 'with your permission', or 'we request this'? He doesn't. He isn't asking, he is telling. He's proposing an invasion.
The discussion may have been about this, but his comment wasn't. Go back and re-read it, as you obviously didn't.
Not that reality will stop you from keeping up your post-truth©
bass4funk
He hasn't talked about invading per say, but when it comes to the Cartels, I think Trump is right, if the Mexican government is unwilling to keep the violence on their side, then we have every right to weed out a lot of these guys. Also, the Mexican government DOES want help, this is a crucial point where Obama can stick Mexico with the bill for the wall, either way, they have to pay, if they want help, trade, weapons they have to give up something and this time, they will or good luck to them and at this point, the Mexican government doesn't have that much of a leg to stand on.
Strangerland
On your side of the border you do. Not on their side. Or do you feel that invading sovereign nations is ok.
bass4funk
I don't necessarily always agree with thatLet's put it like this, whatever anyone thinks, the ball is in Trump's court, our opinions aren't important in this, we don't write policy and not in the position to do anything about it, if he decides to go in and cut the snakes head from these Cartels, more power to him and knowing Mexico the way I do, they really wouldn't put up a fight, especially in this situation, so I'll route and pray that Trump makes good on that promise. As far as your question is concerned, if I feel that invading a sovereign nation is ok, it depends, I cannot answer that answer, it's a bit multifaceted.
PTownsend
So you're waiting for Trump's decision and whichever way he goes you'll say is the right way to go. Is the Trump brand of kool aid on the market yet?
bass4funk
Pretty much.
1glenn
The Mexican president, Nieto, called off his scheduled meeting with Chump, after further inflammatory and insulting comments from the American president. After calling off the meeting, Chump threatened to go to war with Mexico.
Perhaps it is time for all leaders to call off their meetings with Chump. Maybe that way he will realize that he needs to stop acting like an idiot.
bass4funk
Over heated words? I find that very hard to believe. I don't think Trump cares one bit what Nieto thinks. Leaders agree and disagree, part of the game, but dealing with the Drug Cartels, different ball game.
LOL, good luck with that.
smartacus
bass4funk
You need to learn to be objective and not blindly follow Trump on everything. It's possible to support a president and still disagree with some of the things he says or does. You have to be big enough to do that or you lose all respect.
Threatening to send troops to another country without being invited is wrong and a violation of international law. How you cannot see that is beyond me.
You also have to see that, right now, the man you worship is the most despised man on the planet. You may not like it but it is reality.
If you can't see these things, you will lose every argument you get into about Trump.
The president thinks he can run the U.S. like he does a company and he cannot. He is being badly advised by men like Bannon and Flynn.
Step back a bit and see things as the rest of the world sees Trump.
Strangerland
Oh, Bass plays the team game. He won't ever criticize anything his team does nor support anything the other team does. For him, it's about his team winning at any cost, not about the best for the country.
Moderator: Bass can speak for him/herself.
bass4funk
I am objective and I don't follow Trump on everything.
Actually, up to now, I pretty much agree with him on everything, now that doesn't mean, I will agree with every policy he will bring forth in the future, but so far, I really like what he's doing, but don't worry, if I disagree with him on certain issues, you will know.
I have learned in life, no matter what conservatives/ Republican president is in the WH, liberals and Democrats would never give them a fair shot, never, so I never listen to any grip the left has about the right because it's just emotional partisan politics and the left will only stop if a Dam is in office, so it doesn't matter if the left admire the president or not. Personally, I never cared if the president is popular or not, I just care about him executing his policies that align with my personal worldview. The left care about having a president with rock star status, that doesn't interest me in the slightest.
That's your opinion, I have a very different one.
And you can think that, there are millions that think differently.
Irrelevant.
@Strange
You couldn't be more wrong.
Jimizo
"I am objective and I don't follow Trump on everything."
You agreed with Obama on the TPP but now you agree with Trump on the TPP.
You were angry that Obama made the US a "laughing stock" on the world stage but now you don't care what the world thinks about the US now Trump is in power.
You were a foreign policy hawk and agreed with the foreign policy of the Bush administration but then started calling Clinton a warmonger when Trump did.
You railed against the inexperience of Obama in politics but now see Trump's total lack of political experience as a positive. I'm assuming you think the same about his son-in-law.
You must admit, it does seem like bandwagon-jumping rather than objective reasoning. You did call Trump's followers a "lunatic fringe" at one point.
bass4funk
Oh, so studying the issue more in depth and changing positions is now a crime? Never knew that.
Laughing stock as our enemies think of us as pushovers and countries like China, Russia NK and Iran to name a short list. So yes, laughing stock. Ok, I'll throw Mexico in as well.
Because Hillary's motives were far different, see Wikileaks.
I'm a conservative and I never in a million years believed and saw over the last 8 years how destructive Obama's progressive liberal far leftist policies were to the country, I weep every time I go back to California and see what the left loons have done to that beautiful state. Trump is most definitely inexperienced, but he executing his policies, got the ball rolling, what gets me is how the left is coming unglued about all of this, he's doing everything he said he was going to do during the campaign and now the left is having a hissy fit over it? You guys need to get over it and deal with it for the next 8 years otherwise, you guys will make yourselves sick with grief.
And I evolved once I changed my wicked ways.
Jimizo
@Bass
I think this exchange is closer to the mark:
PTownsend: "So you're waiting for Trump's decision and whichever way he goes you'll say is the right way to go."
Bass: "Pretty much"
I've heard many things said about Trump but making people think deeply, as you claimed Trump did on the TPP, isn't one of them. His whooping audiences didn't strike me as people looking for profound statements.
I think it was Obi Wan Kenobi who said something about the force having a strong power over weak minds.
toshiko
Trump already. Sent troop to a cooountryy in and our solder was kill and residents on ground, children women people were dead. So don't think he is joking.
bass4funk
Maybe that's the answer and reason why Democrats keep losing elections and libs are falling apart.
Jimizo
@Bass
After studying the TPP "more in depth", what exactly was it that changed your mind? It's a difficult issue and I'd be interested in the finer points.
What was it exactly that made you do a 180 on the TPP and what were your reasons for initially supporting it?
Serrano
nostromo: "barely 2 weeks into the job and he's threatening foreign military interventions"
It was a joke, nostromo, and the only foreign mlitary intervention that is going to happen during the Trump administration will be to defeat ISIS which Obama and Hillary let grow out of control. If you really hate foreign military interventions, you ought to glad that warmonger Hillary wasn't elected.
Trump is already making America great again!
bass4funk
Too long, too much depth and don't want to veer off topic. But as I said before, we can all change, be for something or be against something.
Oh, without a doubt!
wtfjapan
troops to stop “bad hombres down there” unless the Mexican military does more to control them LOL and this is exactly what I said will happen. Mexico has got Trump by the nads on this. President Enrique : "Yes Mr President, were more than happy to help you fight the war against the drug cartels but its going to cost you", President Orange: "how much!?" President Enrique : "oh about the same price as your wall you want us to pay for" hehehe
Rik314
"I fix things." Do tell.
Kuya 808
Post-truth politics (also called post-factual politics) is a political culture in which debate is framed largely by appeals to emotion disconnected from the details of policy, and by the repeated assertion of talking points to which factual rebuttals are ignored. (wikipedia)
Strangerland
And yet when Hillary did that, on the exact same topic (the TPP), you criticized her for changing her opinion.
Apparently what's good for the goose is NOT good for the gander in your books.
nishikat
The wall?
Serrano
Oh my...
Media Insinuates that Trump Threatened War with Mexico:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSed8fq2vEI
bruinfan
How can you tell what is for real and what is "lighthearted" anymore? Is it all decided on retrospect based on how people react ?
1glenn
This was really big news in Mexico over a week ago. It is just about the only thing that was talked about. The Idiot-in-Chief can call it a joke, but the people in Mexico are freaking out. Can't say I blame them.
What do you say about a so-called president who threatens long time allies, and praises murderous dictators? Mexico has bad hombres? How about his best buddy, Putin? There are few dictators on the planet who have killed more people than the Russian autocrat, but Chump has only praise for his fellow psychopath.
ZENJI
How a story evolves from one comment into a pack of lies. Mr and Mrs America you should bow your heads in shame