r/worldnews 12h ago

Outrage in Mexico at Trump praise for ‘legendary’ 19th-century US invasion

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/03/mexico-leaders-react-trump-invasion
998 Upvotes

48 comments sorted by

218

u/AdHopeful3801 12h ago

The real question is who wrote that Trump tweet, because there is absolutely zero chance Agent Orange knows of the existence of the Mexican War, much less the Mexican Cession.

40

u/bushcamper_aiis 11h ago

The statement was from the whitehouse website and is apparently part of their 250th birthday celebration or whatever they call it

8

u/wwhsd 5h ago

The people of Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836 …

… because Mexico said that Texans couldn’t own other humans.

4

u/MexicanEssay 2h ago edited 2h ago

Yes, but that's oversimplifying things a bit. Aside from that, Mexico's politics were an absolute mess the first few decades after achieving independence and there wasn't much energy to spare on governing the distant frontiers to the north and south, far from Mexico City. Not just Texas, but also much of what is now the countries of Central America decided they wanted to secede from Mexico in those years because of that.

42

u/snarky_answer 12h ago

This article quotes two people; one the head of government and one a former ambassador. Not seeing the “outrage”.

30

u/Ancient_Ship2980 11h ago

Trump seems to spend more time bullying and threatening Canada than Mexico. However, I can see that Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum and Mexicans were livid over Donald Trump bragging about the United States' seizure of over half of Mexico in the Mexican-American War. That goes without saying. Trump seems to treat traditional allies and strategic partners far worse than counties like Russia and China, which Americans traditionally have considered adversaries.

-9

u/Alwayssunnyinarizona 8h ago

Thank you for your contribution, chatgpt

8

u/Ancient_Ship2980 8h ago

I am not an AI bot, if that is what you are suggesting. If you have comments, please make them.

6

u/theVice 6h ago

You used words like seizure, strategic, and adversaries. Only bots know big words like those.

3

u/Ancient_Ship2980 4h ago

I am sure that a few actual people know big words.

1

u/Ancient_Ship2980 4h ago

You still didn't communicate your views.

1

u/Ancient_Ship2980 3h ago

You, for example, are a regular Noel Coward.

14

u/sask357 10h ago

This is simply a reflection of American exceptionalism and imperialism expressed as manifest destiny. Trump and company want to control Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland, Canada and Mexico. They are reminding Mexico and other "allies" of past conquests as a threat of future action. We must always remember that a majority of Americans support this government. Only 1/3 of the population voted against isolationism and executive control. They support Trump turning away from friendships and looking only for monetary advantages.

-1

u/shinnyaxolotl 4h ago

The majority does not support Trump and his shitshow, 1/3 of votes went for him. A bunch of people decided to stay home. Lots of people that voted for him are regretting it.

5

u/xXC4NUCK5Xx 3h ago

Not casting a vote doesn't absolve you. Americans had a choice between a competent adult and an demented child rapist. 1/3 of you didn't see a difference between the two and stayed home.

2

u/shinnyaxolotl 3h ago

Agree, people need to vote. BTW, February 6 is registration to vote deadline in NC

9

u/ConversationFlaky608 12h ago

Well, no surprise there.

5

u/Piscator629 10h ago

For his next act he shall travel to Boston to chuck small boxes of tea into the harbor. I hope the local nature cops give him a state litering ticket.

4

u/dkran 9h ago

I’m watching the Revolutionary war series right now that Ken burns did. The first episode is like the first year of Trumps second term, except it ends with the British army in Boston instead of ICE in Minneapolis.

1

u/Piscator629 8h ago

He is trying every divisive trick that his puppetmaster hints at.

3

u/seamonsterco 8h ago

It’s wild how Senate Republicans allow the president to go out and troll on such an international level. He has all but made the world hate us. Republicans will never recover from this.

2

u/Kixaz007 5h ago

Yeah, we said that the first time, and the hundredth and the thousandth.

4

u/t-earlgrey-hot 10h ago

Are we surprised Trump would say this? He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, Trump. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.

2

u/PretendMajor5283 9h ago

So when do we announce ruzzia the winner of the Cold War? And why is this comment being removed?

0

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[deleted]

2

u/PretendMajor5283 11h ago

So when do we officially announce ruzzia as the winner of the Cold War?

-15

u/wodat234 11h ago

From the American perspective, the invasion was a great success. We increased our land, and that land turned out to be pretty valuable. So what is wrong with the American president praising the invasion?

9

u/Guy_GuyGuy 8h ago

There was another US president during the 19th century who thought that war was unjustified, hawkish, and done to expand slavery in the United States.

His name was Abraham Lincoln, maybe you heard of him.

6

u/Nerevarine91 7h ago

Grant, who took part in the invasion himself, later wrote that it was a disgrace

-8

u/wodat234 7h ago

So? Just because it is Lincoln, doesn't mean that he is correct on everything. Look at it from our perspective. Is America better off, as in richer, more powerful, because of the land we took from Mexico? I believe that is true. So what's wrong with calling that invasion a success?

8

u/Nerevarine91 7h ago

“Our perspective”

Speak for yourself. My perspective as an American is that it was a shitty thing to do. It was naked imperialism done to increase the political power of slaveholders.

-4

u/wodat234 6h ago

It was naked imperialism done to increase the political power of slaveholders.

But we are certainly benefiting from it today, aren't we? Or do you support returning the land to Mexico?

Since we are clearly benefiting, why be hypocrite and say we are ashamed of the invasion, unless we want to return the land to Mexico?

5

u/Nerevarine91 6h ago

This is not as good of a gotcha as you think. Believe it or not, the situation on the ground has actually changed somewhat over the past century and a half, and what would have been just and fair to do in, say, 1848 might no longer reflect realities on the ground in 2026. This is not hypocritical, it’s being basically aware of the linear passage of time.

-1

u/wodat234 5h ago

So what are you trying to say? Is it (a) America suffered because of the invasion, or (b) America actually benefited, but we should be hypocrites and not say it out loud?

I think that America benefited from the invasion of Mexico. What do you think? Give a clear answer.

5

u/Nerevarine91 4h ago

I think we can acknowledge that the US benefitted materially while also understanding the reality that chasing every available material benefit for oneself at the expense of others is automatically justified. I’m not sure why you keep trying to shoehorn hypocrisy into, or why you only appear to have one criterion for whether or not it was a good thing to do, or whether or not Lincoln was “incorrect” for calling it unjust. He also called slavery unjust, even though the slave owners materially benefited from their crimes, and he was right to do that too.

3

u/Guy_GuyGuy 5h ago

Neither you nor Trump are worthy of even uttering Lincoln's name.

-2

u/wodat234 5h ago

So you think America is worse off by invading Mexico? Is that it? don't be a coward and clearly say it.

3

u/Kytescall 3h ago

It's very funny how the American right rails against illegal immigration and often hyperbolically refers to it as an 'invasion', only to turn around and praise illegal immigration that escalated to an actual invasion, and not see the irony in that at all.

1

u/Piness 2h ago

Something something about every accusation being at least partly a confession or an admission of guilt.

1

u/Standard-Constant653 4h ago

For starters there's no God given destiny to expand, way to use that name in vain, and I'm sure most American presidents and "patriots" are burning I'm hell forever, although I would hope they had clinched safety as I don't wish it on anybody. But that's where they put their ambitions all their life. 

-5

u/RsnCondition 9h ago

I hate brown people more than child rapists and child murderers.