The Cable

The Cable goes inside the foreign policy machine, from Foggy Bottom to Turtle Bay, the White House to Embassy Row.

Donald Trump to El Chapo: Come at Me Bro

Donald Trump offers to take on the drug lord known as El Chapo, on the run from Mexican authorities after a Saturday prison break.

480309148
480309148

Real estate mogul Donald Trump is a lot of things. He’s a candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He once hosted a reality show. But who knew he was brave enough to take on one of the most feared drug lords on earth?

Real estate mogul Donald Trump is a lot of things. He’s a candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He once hosted a reality show. But who knew he was brave enough to take on one of the most feared drug lords on earth?

Two days after Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, head of the notorious and ultraviolent Sinaloa cartel, escaped a Mexican prison using an elaborate underground tunnel, Trump — never short on bold proclamations — began making some noise on Twitter. Apparently, there’s a man out there capable of bringing El Chapo to justice.

That man is Donald Trump.

He didn’t stop there.

And apparently Trump has a good idea of where he can find Guzman.

Trump’s tough talk hasn’t been impressing one potential ally: Rupert Murdoch. Taking to Twitter, Murdoch said this about the man who says he’s willing to take on El Chapo:

Your move, Mr. Trump.

Photo credit: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.