Donald Trump has beefed up his security team and alerted the FBI following a Twitter spat with Mexico's notorious drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
"We have officials all over the place, including right outside hanging out in the trees," the Republican presidential hopeful told reporters Tuesday at an opening ceremony for Albemarle Estates, his new winery and bed and breakfast in Charlottesville, Virginia, reports the New York Post. Trump arrived at the event with extra body guards by his side, including two state troopers, and is working with law enforcement on security, according to Time.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has made a number of controversial comments regarding illegal Mexican immigrants, at one point calling some Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers, which Guzman, leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, apparently took note of.
The crime boss brazenly escaped from maximum-security prison 50 miles outside Mexico City Saturday morning, using a motorcycle to travel through a mile-long tunnel leading from his cell to a half-built barn outside the prison, where he vanished into thin air.
Shortly after news broke of Guzman's escape, Trump tweeted: "Mexico's biggest drug lord escapes from jail. Unbelievable corruption and USA is paying the price. I told you so."
Ten minutes later, a twitter account claiming to belong to Guzman warned Trump that if he continues messing around, he will regret it.
"Keep fucking around and I'm gonna make you swallow your whore words you fucking whitey milkshitter," the twitter user @ElChap0Guzman wrote to Trump. Milkshitter is a homophobic slur in Mexico, according to the Daily Mail.
El Chapo later tweeted, "I'm better than them," referencing Trump and his entourage.
The account has not been authenticated, but as the New York Daily News notes, it dates back to June 2012 and has more than 462,000 followers.
Guzman's threat didn't stop Trump from retaliating with a direct threat of his own, which also called out presidential rivals Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton:
"Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with 'El Chapo', the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison? ...." Trump tweeted Sunday night.
He immediately followed up with, "...Trump, however, would kick his ass!"
Come Monday, Trump alerted FBI agents of Guzman's threat, according to ABC News.
"Law enforcement is working very hard right now on the situation here," Trump told reporters at the winery Tuesday.
Trump said he wasn't at liberty to discuss whether he had heard back from federal agents. "I am not supposed to be talking about it," he said, reported the Post.
