Vivek Ramaswamy’s policy proposals and how they would transform the U.S.

Ramaswamy has vowed to “use our military to annihilate Mexican drug cartels.” This position is similar to those of most of the other GOP presidential candidates, including Trump and DeSantis.

Both the Mexican government and the Biden administration have warned against pledges to use the U.S. military, including drones, to strike Mexican territory without its approval. “In addition to being irresponsible, it is an offense to the people of Mexico,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in March, according to Reuters. Federal agencies are already involved monitoring and wiretapping Mexican drug cartels, but the GOP plan, including Ramaswamy’s, would represent a major escalation against a key U.S. trading partner and ally.

“You don’t invade your partner like that, and these suggestions should not be taken seriously,” said Ariel Cohen, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. “But people say things during election campaigns.”