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.
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.
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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