A CNN reporter’s plan to score an anti-Trump soundbite from a member of one of the world’s most dangerous drug cartels backfired spectacularly when the gangster gave a respectful nod to the 45th President of the United States instead.
Isobel Yeung, a correspondent for CNN, ventured into Sinaloa, Mexico, this week to investigate the human impact of the Sinaloa Cartel—a hyper-violent narco-terrorist group responsible for thousands of killings and a massive share of the fentanyl pipeline devastating American communities.
The Sinaloa Cartel has long operated with brutality and impunity. In response, President Donald J. Trump declared these cartels Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), unlocking a wider arsenal of federal tools to combat, dismantle, and eliminate their influence. Trump even floated deploying the U.S. military to Mexican territory to strike at cartel strongholds—a controversial but bold idea that gained traction with many Americans fed up with cross-border carnage.
CNN’s Narrative Derails
Yeung’s interview with an unnamed Sinaloa Cartel member was clearly engineered to reinforce a narrative: that Trump’s hardline policies are reckless and unpopular—even among those labeled as terrorists.
But things didn’t go according to script.
“According to the Trump Administration, you are a terrorist. You are a member of a terrorist organization. What do you make of that?” Yeung asked, expecting outrage or defiance.
Instead, the cartel member offered a deadpan reply:
“It’s ugly,” he said. “But we have to eat.”
She pushed again.
“What is your message to Donald Trump if he’s watching this?” she asked, no doubt hoping for a vitriolic denouncement.
The cartel member didn’t bite.
“My respect,” he responded. “According to him, he’s looking out for his people.”
Respect Earned, Not Demanded
The moment caught Yeung—and the entire mainstream media—off guard. It underscored a truth that has long eluded Trump’s critics: true leadership earns respect, even from adversaries. The Sinaloa Cartel isn’t about to endorse American presidents, but even its operatives understand strength when they see it.
Trump’s designation of the cartels as terrorist groups wasn’t symbolic. It was a strategic escalation, sending a clear message: if you threaten American lives with drugs, violence, or illegal weapons, you will be treated like ISIS—not as criminals, but as enemy combatants.
That’s the kind of resolve absent from the Biden-Harris administration, which has dismantled or diluted many of Trump’s border security measures, including enforcement coordination with Mexican authorities and key construction on the southern border wall.
A Humbling Moment for the Media
CNN’s entire approach hinges on vilifying Trump, but this encounter proved once again that even the worst actors on Earth respect strength. While legacy media personalities sneer, shout, and spin, the cartel soldier’s simple words said it all: Trump defends his people, and that deserves respect.
In the end, it was a moment of unintended truth from one of the darkest corners of global criminality. The media’s propaganda couldn’t survive the raw, unscripted honesty of a man who lives in the shadows of lawlessness—and knows exactly what real power looks like.