Many of the GOP presidential candidates say they would carry out potential acts of war against Mexico in response to the trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador repeatedly denies his country is producing the synthetic opioid despite enormous evidence to the contrary. Border agents seized nearly 13 tons (12,000 kilograms) of fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border between September 2022 and August, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "As commander in chief, I’m going to use the U.S. military to go after the Mexican drug cartels,” said DeSantis, the Florida governor. Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018 campaigning with a motto of “hugs, not bullets,” and for four years has shredded his predecessors’ prosecution of the drug war.

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Persons: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, ” Donald Trump, You’ve, you’ve, ”, Arturo Sarukhan, “, Andrea Thomas ’, Thomas, Joe Biden's, Andres Manuel López Obrador, I’m, DeSantis, James Mandryck, Lopez Obrador, Xóchitl Gálvez, James K, Polk, Woodrow Wilson, Pancho Villa, Trump, Tony Payan, Elliot Spagat, Mark Stevenson Organizations: MIAMI, Republican, GOP, U.S . Customs, U.S . Commission, Univision, Drug Enforcement Administration, Trump, Biden, U.S ., Center, Rice, Baker Institute for Public, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Mexico, United States, Washington, Junction , Colorado, Mexican, Florida, China, Sinaloa, Latin America, Texas, California , Nevada , Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma , Kansas, Wyoming, Veracruz, Columbus , New Mexico, San Diego, Mexico City