Mexico joins the list of countries that believe they can spit in President Joe Biden’s face and get away with it.
In an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador elaborated on outrageous demands he had made of Biden that would hurt American interests.
These demands include the United States paying Latin America $20 billion a year, lifting the sanctions placed on Venezuela, ending the embargo on Cuba, and legalizing the millions of Mexicans who have illegally forced their way into the United States. If the Biden administration refuses to comply, then “the flow of migrants … will continue.”
Lopez Obrador also said that he is “not going to establish contact, communication with a criminal” to tell the cartels trafficking fentanyl across the U.S. border to stop it because “you cannot negotiate with criminals.”
On Tuesday, the Mexican government sent out a statement in which it said it refuses to take back illegal immigrants deported by Texas “under any circumstances.”
This explicit display of defiance toward the U.S. is a growing trend among the world leaders of weaker countries that feel bold enough to act against American interests due to Biden’s incompetence.
The latest instance of this was in February when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro decided to refuse America’s request to take its illegal immigrants back to their homeland. Many of Venezuela’s prisons have been emptied of criminals who have been spotted crossing the border. Venezuela does not want them back.
Shortly before that, Russian President Vladimir Putin mocked Biden by endorsing him since he said Biden is predictably passive regarding foreign policy. Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan gave Russia confidence that it could invade Ukraine with relatively little pushback from him.
Even our greatest allies see us as a joke. At a G7 conference in 2021, Biden confidently told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that he had failed to introduce the president of South Africa despite him having done just that seconds before. Laughter at Biden from world leaders ensued.
In spite of this, it does not matter what other nations think of us, so long as they respect our power. Effectively wielding power gives a leader authority, not simply having that power. Former President Donald Trump was often criticized by world leaders, but they respected him nonetheless.
For example, Trump’s threats to abandon NATO due to America carrying all its weight compelled every member to increase their GDP spending closer to the required 2%. Before his term, only three members paid 2%. After his term, 10 members paid 2%.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
It is only with repetitive incompetence that the world’s negative opinion of America becomes a problem. It gives countries a green light to start taking actions that benefit them and cost us even more.
The Biden administration is completely incapable of effective power politics, and both global and domestic stability will continue to decay because of it.
Parker Miller is a 2024 Washington Examiner Winter Fellow.