Isobel Yeung Interviews Cartel Members
CNN stumbled into a media firestorm over the weekend after airing an interview with a masked member of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel—only to watch their segment backfire spectacularly. What appeared to be an attempt at challenging President Trump’s designation of the cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization instead turned into an inadvertent boost for Trump’s law-and-order narrative, as the cartel member offered not criticism, but respect.
The interview, conducted by CNN’s Isobel Yeung in a shadowy hideout somewhere in Mexico, presented a rare on-camera encounter with a gangster from one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere.
Dressed in sunglasses, a mask, and latex gloves, the cartel operative was expected to push back on Trump’s hardline policy. But when asked, “According to the Trump administration, you are a terrorist. … What do you make of that?” his response was disarming in its candor: “Well, the situation is ugly, but we have to eat.”
CNN is now sitting down with foreign terrorist drug traffickers to ask how they feel about Trump’s policies and being labeled terrorists. UNREAL. pic.twitter.com/xNlMTtPZg7
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 4, 2025
It was what came next that truly upended expectations. Asked what he’d say directly to the former president, the gangster said plainly, “My respect. According to him, he’s looking out for his people.” Then, in a pivot that CNN likely didn’t anticipate, he pointed a finger back at American consumers: “If there weren’t any consumers, we would stop.”
The response lit up social media. Critics accused CNN of trying to solicit anti-Trump sentiment from a drug trafficker, only to walk away with a bizarre endorsement instead. One user quipped, “CNN tried to create a scandal and accidentally gave Trump a campaign ad.”
Others noted the irony with biting sarcasm: “Unbelievably, CNN gives a Sinaloa cartel member a chance to throw a pity party about being labeled a terrorist, but he ends up praising Trump.”
Even lawmakers weighed in. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) didn’t hold back, suggesting, “Let them [CNN] live under the rule of foreign terrorist drug traffickers for a few months. And then tell us how they feel.”
At the heart of the issue is Trump’s executive order, signed January 20, officially designating the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. This classification empowers the U.S. government with expanded tools, including financial sanctions, immigration restrictions, and aggressive prosecution tactics aimed at dismantling the cartel’s network. The State Department noted the cartel’s history of murder, kidnapping, and intimidation in a February fact sheet, solidifying the basis for the label.