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.

Dems pick potential successor to DC’s congressional delegate after decades-long incumbency

State of play: What to know about potential socialist showdown between Trump and DC mayor as votes pour in

DC Guard shooting suspect stares down death penalty in first court appearance

Trump’s endorsement fails to save MAGA candidate as billionaire advances in key governor race

FDNY deploys 140+ personnel to JFK after Delta flight reported with flat tires on approach to landing

Look: World Cup Fans Visiting for the First Time Fall in Love with America, Go Viral on Blessings We Take for Granted

Trump-backed ‘McCongressman’ wins Oklahoma Senate primary, vows push for stalled SAVE Act

Trump-backed Kevin Hern wins Oklahoma Senate primary to replace Markwayne Mullin

Watch: Misguided Dems Try to Take Viewers from White House UFC Event, Get Stuck with Bette Midler Giving Worst Performance of Her Life

Chick-fil-A Loses Fast-Food Crown for the First Time in 12 Years

Notorious Trans Actor Says He Has Lost Jaw-Dropping Amount of Income Since Trump Stomped DEI – So Where Was It Coming From?

Watch: The Moment Fighter Bo Nickal Literally Jumped the Ring to Get to Trump, Say Words of Respect

Libs Try to Cancel Family-Friendly Comic Nate Bargatze for Trump Birthday Appearance: ‘Done with Him’

Alaska woman uses weapon to survive terrifying bear attack after predator mauls pooch: ‘I thought I was dead’

Son of Mango fashion billionaire heard tearfully telling 911 operator his father had ‘fallen down a ravine’

See also Trump arrives for UFC fight

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.