Sympathy for the Devil? CNN Ridiculed for Solicitous Interview with Sinaloa Cartel Member
The backlash on social media came fast and furious with many accusing CNN of trying to goad this man into criticizing Trump.
CNN reporter Isabel Yeung traveled to Sinaloa, Mexico, on Saturday to interview a member of the Sinaloa Cartel. It didn’t go quite as well as she had hoped. The gang member, involved in fentanyl production, unexpectedly expressed his respect for President Donald Trump.
For obvious reasons, the gang member wore a face mask, sunglasses, a baseball cap, and even a pair of gloves. The network used a voice changer and agreed not to disclose his exact location.
“How safe or dangerous is this area to be in?” Yeung asked.
“Right now, all areas are dangerous.”
“According to the Trump Administration, you are a terrorist. The cartels have been labeled a foreign terrorist organization,” she noted. “What do you make of that?”
“Well, the situation is ugly. But we have to eat.”
“What is your message to Donald Trump – if he’s watching this?” Yeung asked.
“My respect,” the man said.
He continued, “According to him, he’s looking out for his people. But the problem is that the consumers are [in the United States]. If there weren’t any consumers, we would stop.”
“There is a lot of violence playing out on these streets here at the moment, every day. Right? I mean people are dying on a daily basis. Children are afraid to go to school. Do you have any sense of remorse over your role and your involvement in this group?” she asked.
Of course,” he answered. “Things are sad, but .. well .. things are sad.”
Yeung was likely unprepared to hear that this gangster respected Trump. Respect—for Donald Trump? The archenemy of the legacy media? What was wrong with this masked man?
The backlash on social media came fast and furious, with many accusing CNN of trying to goad this man into criticizing Trump.
One X user noted this was “Not the answer the Communist News Network wanted.”
Another wrote, “CNN is in full meltdown mode. All their usual smear tactics have failed—again. So what’s their next brilliant move? Interviewing the freaking Sinaloa Cartel. They were clearly hoping for a ‘Trump is evil’ soundbite. Instead? Total backfire.”
“CNN is in full meltdown mode. All their usual smear tactics have failed—again. So what’s their next brilliant move? Interviewing the freaking Sinaloa Cartel,” another remarked.
CNN: "What's your message to Donald Trump?"
Sinaloa Cartel Member: "My respect. According to him, he's looking out for his people."
Not the answer the Communist News Network wanted. pic.twitter.com/lWgjORrIjE
— Kim "Katie" USA (@KimKatieUSA) May 3, 2025
Many social media users criticized what they perceived as CNN’s attempt to portray this man as somehow sympathetic. I agree with them.
This criminal feels bad that he is contributing to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans every year — most of them below the age of 45 — but he has to eat? Please.
So CNN is concerned about hurting the cartel’s feelings?
This isn’t the flex they think it is. It’s offensive to Americans.
— Patty Free (@pattymaese8) May 4, 2025
Does CNN believe that Sinaloa is being mistreated by the American president?
Are they trying to make them sympathetic figures who are just misunderstood?
Sell crazy somewhere else CNN. We’ve got more than enough crazy here already 🙄
— Unruly Julie (@UnrulyJulie15) May 4, 2025
I don’t know about CNN, but I don’t give a damn what the cartel has to say and the consumers are here in America because they got them addicted to the shit to begin with. That’s the whole name of their game the more people addicted the more money they make they don’t give a shit…
— Brian4,nsense (@BrianDCheek) May 4, 2025
CNN fully deserved the ridicule it received following this interview. Moments like this are exactly why the network’s ratings have plummeted so dramatically in recent years.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
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Comments
“Well, the situation is ugly. But we have to eat.”
…porterhouse.
That is true.
How does anyone know who this is, let alone that this is a real Sinaloa Cartel member? How does CNN know?
Then again, CNN has a history of colluding with despicable terrorist organizations – like when CNN made that deal with the other Hussein to have exclusive access to Baghdad if they fed the other Hussein’s insane propaganda to the retarded CNN audience …
As to this “cartel member”‘s opinion of Trump – I could not care less what any cartel member (or any Mexican) has to say about Trump. It’s funny that CNN thought any American would care – even assuming that this unknown guy totally covered up and fake-voiced had any actual connection to the Sinaloa cartel.
It was actually Trump cosplaying.
“and even a pair of gloves”
Who knew there was a downside to gang tats?!
Parents, don’t let your kids grow up to be “journalists”!
“Journalist” = a water-carrying Dhimmi-crat shill, lapdog, trained seal, stenographer or propagandist.
🎶 Dirty-dealing kids, makin’ movies of themselves /
You know they don’t give a * about anybody else…
There was a real dirtbag in this interview. And a criminal was there as well.
Trump put Hard Times on the Sinaloa Cartel.
I wonder if their banner will have the traditional ‘woman and minorities hit hardest’ given the Abrego Garcia deportation documentation?
“IF THERE WERENT ANY CUSTOMERS”
so ,,like obama and hillary said
its americas fault
He’s not wrong: when there’s a demand, someone will be willing to take the risks required to provide the supply. Crack down on the current suppliers and you increase the risks which means even more resolute and ruthless suppliers take their place.
The interesting thing about the free market (and the black market is about as free as you can get) is that the higher the risks involved in providing the supply, the more profit potential there is. High risk limits the number of potential suppliers willing to undertake the risk, which limits competition, which increases profits. How many legitimate businesses (other than banks) are around that have to handle their cash by the pallet load?
No we could just say “it’s the addicts’ fault” but here’s the part where “it’s America’s fault” comes in:
We enable the cartel’s customer base to live the lifestyle of the addict. Our “empathy” and “charity” and “social safety net” are exactly what enable unemployable, living in tents, zombified, druggies to survive and continue to be good customers of the cartels.
If they weren’t able to live on the streets, and eat in soup kitchens, and get handouts from begging on street corners, they’d either starve, or find another way to live. They have the ability to continue living the “life” they choose for year after year because we explicitly support their lifestyle with handouts and “charity”.
I don’t see that changing any time soon, so…he’s not wrong.
CNN can’t fail soon enough
“The consumers are [in the United States]. If there were no consumers we would stop.”
Gee. Maybe if the Yanquis didn’t have such an inordinate desire to snort, smoke or shoot stuff the supply would dry up.
But that’s hard and can’t be done overnight or with the snap of the fingers, so THAT solution is off the table.