Donald Trump Backs Down on Plan to Designate Mexican Cartels Terrorists

President Donald Trump decided Friday not to officially designate Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, deferring instead to Mexico.

“We will temporarily hold off this designation and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The president said that although he was fully prepared to take the tough step against the cartels, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked him not to.

Trump said he liked and respected President Obrador, who has been working with him to help stop the flow of migrants crossing the Southern border of the United States.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green cruises to Democratic primary win, sets up fall matchup with GOP nominee

Hawaii rep cruises to Dem primary win after challenger arrested for beach brawl

Trump’s 4th of July fireworks display on National Mall confirmed as largest in history

Florida man allegedly kills family’s kittens in front of teenage daughter as form of punishment: officials

Watch: WNBA Player Ejected After Nearly Taking Off Sophie Cunningham’s Head With Clothesline Maneuver

EXCLUSIVE: Teen girls recall Jersey Shore ride malfunction that left them stuck hanging upside down

Trump’s White House ballroom foes face ‘very tough argument’ at Supreme Court, legal experts say

Fauci in the congressional wringer: a test for Trump’s newly-minted Attorney General

Graham replacement hopefuls make final pitches before special election: Iran war, DSA, Flock cams and more

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to what the Senate did and didn’t do overnight

One year on, US-brokered peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cements US foothold in the Caucasus

Joe Biden’s cancer has spread further, leaving him in ‘very painful’ condition, Hunter reveals

Florida business owners allegedly scattered 1,500 mothballs on beach to send endangered birds packing

Don Lemon Whines to Judge and Blames Trump in Bid to Get Indictment Thrown Out

Cornell bans bear butchering after students carved up creature in dorm kitchen

President Trump was expected to meet with his advisers on Friday to discuss the designation, which he has been previewing for months.

“All necessary work has been completed to declare Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations,” he confirmed on Friday. “Statutorily we are ready to do so.”

The cartel slaughter of nine American citizens in Mexico last month — six children and three women — prompted Trump to speed up the process.

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr met with Obrador on Thursday to discuss the president’s proposal, which the Mexican president criticized as “interventionism” and a “flagrant violation of our sovereignty.” Obrador also cited President Obama’s failed gunrunning operation “Fast and Furious” as an example of how the United States only made violence worse in Mexico.

In March, Trump told Breitbart News that he was thinking “very seriously” about the idea.

“It’s psychological, but it’s also economic,” Trump said about the cartels. “As terrorists — as terrorist organizations, the answer is yes. They are.

The designation would allow law enforcement to act swiftly against the cartels as well as target their weaponry and financial resources. The federal government would also be allowed to prosecute friends and family members of the cartels supporting them in the United States, as well as organized gangs such as MS-13.