“My respect. According to him, he’s looking out for his people. But the problem is the consumers are in the United States. If there weren’t any consumers we would stop.” — Sinaloa Cartel member in CNN interview
CNN faced widespread backlash after airing an interview with a masked member of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, who surprisingly expressed respect for former President Donald Trump amid questions about being labeled a terrorist.
The segment, filmed in a secret Mexican location, aired Saturday following Trump’s renewed pledge to crack down on cartel-driven drug trafficking and the fentanyl crisis. CNN’s Isobel Yeung asked the masked cartel member, “According to the Trump Administration, you are a terrorist … What do you make of that?”
“Well, the situation is ugly but we have to eat,” the gangster replied. When asked what message he had for Trump, he added, “My respect. According to him, he’s looking out for his people. But the problem is the consumers are in the United States. If there weren’t any consumers we would stop.”
The interview prompted swift criticism online, with many accusing CNN of attempting to extract an anti-Trump quote and portraying the cartel too sympathetically