The Hard Country

Mar 31 2025 31 ep. 49 mins
The Hard Country Podcast artwork

Joshua Treviño and Melissa Ford of the Texas Public Policy Foundation discuss U.S.-Mexico relations, border security, and some Texas history.

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CDMX Takeaways & Reevaluating Claudia Sheinbaum

Mar 31 2025 40 mins  
TPPF's Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo discuss Joshua's findings from a recent expedition to Mexico City, with a focus on Claudia Sheinbaum's first six months as President of Mexico. They also look ahead to the upcoming deadline for reauthorizing the USMCA trade agreement.Sources referenced in the episode:TPPF Issues Recommendations for Aggressive Diplomacy with MexicoMorena's

U.S. Drones Over Mexico

Mar 04 2025 15 mins  
In this special episode recorded at TPPF's 2025 Texas Policy Summit, Melissa Ford returns to the show to discuss the United States flying drones in Mexico and the Trump administration's latest foreign terrorist organization (FTO) designations for Mexican cartels.

Tariffs and Trade

Feb 04 2025 37 mins  
Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo discuss Mexico’s concessions on border security in response to President Trump’s tariff threats. They also shine a spotlight on the corrupt Mexican state-cartel alliance, cover the latest border clash at Fronton Island, and break down new Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s “Americas First” foreign policy approach.Sources referenced in the

Trump and the New World

Jan 27 2025 32 mins  
Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo discuss President Trump's executive orders designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and instructing armed forces to defend U.S. borders. Next, they react to Colombia's initial refusal to accept deportation flights, and subsequent about-face following threats from President Trump. They close by outlining what all of th

The Hard Country Book: Chapter 2 - The River and the Line

Oct 24 2024 34 mins  
Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo discuss the second chapter of The Hard Country: The Mexican Crisis and America's Answers. In the chapter, Joshua recalls a trip along the Rio Grande where he witnessed the evils of the Mexican cartels’ deadly human trafficking operations.The Hard Country: The Mexican Crisis and America’s Answers is available now at HardCountryBook.com

The Hard Country Book: Chapter 1 - Fue el Estado

Oct 10 2024 35 mins  
In this episode of The Hard Country, Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo discuss the first chapter of the forthcoming book of the same name— The Hard Country — setting out the premises of the work, and also its core contention: Fue el Estado, it was (and is) the Mexican state that is at the core of the Mexican crisis.The Hard Country: The Mexican Crisis and America’s Answers

True Lies

Apr 11 2024 46 mins  
Joshua Treviño and Melissa Ford Maldonado discuss the latest headlines including Ecuador’s raid on Mexico’s Embassy, AMLO’s laundry list of lies in a recent 60 Minutes interview, and ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales escaping to Mexico.

Narcopresidente

Mar 28 2024 48 mins  
Live from TPPF’s Texas Policy Summit 2024, Joshua Treviño and Melissa Ford Maldonado have the pleasure of sitting down with the Founder & Executive Director of Patria Unida, Humberto Lopez Vega, to discuss the current state of affairs between the US and Mexico from a perspective that is not often enough considered - that of the Mexican people.

The Modern Slave Trade and More

Feb 16 2024 52 mins  
Joshua Treviño and Melissa Ford Maldonado discuss the latest news surrounding the crisis between American values and Mexican governmental policies - resulting in accepted and even endorsed slave trade in our own suburban communities!

Follow the Money

Feb 01 2024 49 mins  
Joshua Treviño and Melissa Ford Maldonado discuss the latest news surrounding the crisis based along our southern border including the rumored Senate Immigration Plan, support other states are sending Texas’ way and the connections between corrupt money and Mexico’s AMLO administration. Subscribe to The Hard Country podcast on Apple or Spotify.Below are the materials reference