The newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has brought forth a familiar slogan, ‘all options on the table,’ reminiscent of the former ‘trade war’ era, though this time it’s directed at Mexico’s drug cartels. President Trump’s executive order seems tough on paper but might just be a show of strength. Labeling Mexican drug cartels as ‘foreign terrorist organizations’ borders on the absurd, as terrorism is no trivial matter to be thrown around. Deploying troops to ‘defend the border’ seems more like a display for the outside world, leaving the real guardians of American safety to the local law enforcement.