President Claudia Sheinbaum has been described as a “Trump whisperer,” but a majority of Mexicans believe that her administration is not doing a good job managing the relationship with the U.S. president, according to the results of a recent poll.
The newspaper El Financiero surveyed 1,000 Mexicans between Aug. 14 and 25, asking them a range of questions related to the Mexico-U.S. relationship.
The polling began two weeks after Sheinbaum spoke to Donald Trump and won a reprieve from an increase in U.S. tariffs on non-USMCA compliant goods that was scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1.
The poll was conducted shortly after a U.S. drone flew deep into Mexican airspace to monitor cartel activity, and began the day that Trump claimed that Mexico “does what we tell them to do,” an assertion dismissed by Sheinbaum.
56% of poll respondents think Sheinbaum is doing a bad job managing the relationship with Trump
El Financiero asked the poll respondents to “rate the way in which the government of Claudia Sheinbaum is handling the relationship with Donald Trump.”
Fifty-six per cent of respondents said that the Sheinbaum administration is doing badly or very badly in that task, while just 28% of those polled said it is doing well or very well.
The remaining 16% of respondents didn’t answer one way or the other.
El Financiero didn’t ask for specifics on why people thought the Sheinbaum administration was doing a good or bad job managing the relationship with Trump. Some observers claim that the Mexican government is being too subservient to the U.S. government, even as Sheinbaum repeatedly asserts that Mexico takes its own sovereign decisions to best serve its own national interest.
Since Trump began his second term on Jan. 20, the United States has imposed tariffs on a range of imports from Mexico, undermining the USMCA, and pressured Mexico to do more to combat cartels and the northward flow of narcotics. The Mexican government has made some progress in those areas.
Sheinbaum — who maintains a very high personal approval rating — has spoken to Trump by telephone on several occasions, and the latter has described the former as a “terrific person and “wonderful woman.”
However, his administration has accused the Mexican government of affording “safe havens for the cartels to engage in the manufacturing and transportation of dangerous narcotics,” a claim that has currency among opposition politicians in Mexico.
Speculation remains that the U.S. government could use military force against drug cartels in Mexican territory, although Sheinbaum has dismissed that possibility and frequently declares that Mexico will never accept any kind of violation of its sovereignty.
Relationship between Mexico and US is bad, according to a majority of poll respondents
El Financiero also asked the 1,000 people it polled to rate the relationship between Mexico and the United States.
Just over half of the respondents — 51% — said that the bilateral relationship was bad or very bad. The percentage was six points lower than in July.
Almost four in ten of those polled — 37% — said that the Mexico-U.S. relationship is good or very good, an increase of 10 points compared to El Financiero’s July poll. That indicates that the Mexican government’s efforts to stave off a higher tariff rate (30%) on non-USMCA compliant goods were recognized by some poll respondents.
Trade and security have been the dominant issues in the bilateral relationship this year.
During El Financiero’s polling period, the security relationship suffered a hiccup after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration touted the launch of what it called a “bold bilateral initiative to dismantle cartel gatekeepers and combat synthetic drug trafficking.”
Sheinbaum subsequently said that her government wasn’t part of any such initiative.
The Mexican and U.S. governments will have an opportunity to address any remaining fallout from that episode when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Mexico City on Wednesday.
Most respondents are opposed to US military action against cartels in Mexico
Sixty-five per cent of respondents said they disagreed with the idea of deploying U.S. military forces to combat criminal groups in Mexico. That percentage declined 10 points compared to July, suggesting that some Mexicans have changed their opinion on the matter.
One-third of respondents — 34% — said they were in favor of the U.S. military taking action to combat Mexican cartels, six of which are now designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. That figure is up 10 points compared to July.
The poll results don’t align with Senator Lily Téllez’s claim last month that most Mexicans would welcome U.S. assistance in the war against drug cartels.
Opposition Senator Téllez tells Fox News that Mexicans want US help against the cartels
The Trump administration is certainly willing to deploy the military to Mexico to take action against cartels, as Sheinbaum revealed in May that she had rejected an offer from the U.S. president to send the U.S. army into Mexico. It would appear unlikely — albeit not inconceivable — that the U.S. would unilaterally take military action against Mexican cartels on Mexican soil.
Two-thirds of poll respondents — 66% — said that the Mexican government should “defend national sovereignty” and not allow the United States to get involved in the fight against drug cartels in Mexico, while 31% said that the Sheinbaum administration should collaborate more with its U.S. counterpart. The former percentage declined 19 points compared to July, while the latter increased 18 points.
Most respondents support handover of cartel figures to US
Two days before El Financiero began its poll, the Mexican government sent 26 organized crime figures to the United States, marking the second large transfer of Mexican prisoners to the U.S. this year.
Just over seven in 10 respondents — 72% — said they agreed with the decision to hand over the criminals (or alleged criminals), while 25% disagreed with the move.
A slightly higher 76% of poll participants told El Financiero in March that they agreed with the decision to hand over 29 cartel figures to the United States. That transfer of prisoners occurred in late February.
Mexican authorities portrayed the separate handovers of the organized crime figures as sovereign decisions that were in Mexico’s best interests, as there was a possibility that some of the prisoners could have been released from Mexican jails.
Insecurity seen as Mexico’s biggest problem
Asked what Mexico’s “main problem” is today, 55% of poll respondents cited public insecurity.
While the number is still high, the percentage of El Financiero poll respondents citing insecurity as Mexico’s No. 1 problem has trended down this year from a high of 78% in January.
Sheinbaum touted the reduction in homicides her government has achieved during the presentation of her first annual government report in a 70-minute speech on Monday.
A total of 36% of respondents cited the Mexican economy or corruption as Mexico’s biggest problem. The split among that cohort was even: 18% cited the economy as the top problem and 18% mentioned corruption.
Economic growth is slowing in Mexico, while the country recorded its worst-ever score and dropped 14 spots on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, even as Sheinbaum and other federal officials assert that corruption in government is largely a thing of the past.
With reports from El Financiero
Mexicans should spend some time in the U.S.A., Canada, or Greenland and get some perspective. Trump is a corrupt felon autocrat who makes Mexican corruption mild in comparison. I and other “gringos” are amazed at how well she has done and how horrible the Trump regime is.
The 19th century Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz once said, “Poor Mexico, So Far From God, So Close to the United States.” Diaz’ quote illustrates the tangled history between the United States and Mexico.
Before the Porfiriato and the Mexican Civil War, Mexico was invaded by US troops, who occupied Mexico-City and stormed Chapultepec castle.
The history and fate of both nations are connected and will remain so, long after both Scheinbaums and Trumps presidency… Hoping that the meeting between Claudia and Marco goes smoothly. And that the Orange Peril in the White House doesn’t throw a tantrum 😉
And you are a libelous liar with Trump Derangement Syndrome.
You need serous mental psychological help.
EVERY comment you make is Trump Hate.
Mexico’s economy collapses without the USA trade.
Mexico’s economy collapses without the USA tourism.
Mexico’s economy collapses if the cartels prosper.
Whether you like it or not, President S. is cooperating with USA military special forces in Chihuahua training paratroopers and other special forces EMBEDDED in the Mexican military to fight the cartel crime syndicate. It is IMPERATIVE that Mexico does not become a failed Narco-state, not only as our USA neighbor but for the Mexican citizen that has now become the Cartel’s new target since the Border has dried up for the cartel as they are at war in Sinaloa. They are victimizing the citizens, gringos and tourist in Mexico more and more daily. IT MUST BE STOPPED. They will come for your Robert, they will come for me and they will come for our women and children. It is our responsibility to MAN UP and protect them and our Mexican “ex pat” financial investments. Mexico is a Republic and we must keep it that way and Mexico needs to act as a Republic. Trump offered the assistance and training and President S. smartly accepted. Trump offered troops and for now President S. declined because radical liberal lunatics like you and the Mexican fake news would turn on her.
Your pandering Trump hatred and spreading that hate is no solution and not appreciated.
Your democrat, socialist marxist policies failed horribly in the USA and we don’t need you bringing that failed California shyt head ideology to Mexico.
It is sad that the fake Trump Deranged hate media in Mexico continues to go out a propaganda hate against our USA President and all the great things he does on a daily basis.
Get a grip Robert and stop the shyt.
Agreed and well written. S for Mexico is like Z for Ukraine… just another controlled deep state puppet. Trump will fix that too!
Haha, nice job lll…I refer to the TDS infected down here as the Walking Dead of Mexico with no ability to critically think. They still don’t understand that the ex-pat community will be the low hanging fruit for cartels. Might be better to save you breath and continue building and fortifying the relationships that matter most.
Well spoken! TDS and liberalism is a cancer on American freedom and society. Robert is way out in left field!
Written by someone who is simply and fully deranged and spews hatred of fellow citizens as fast as he can type. Apparently you have no ability to see what is right in front of your eyes: a felonious president who has turned the WH into his personal tienda, spends millions of taxpayer dollars to cheat at golf at own resorts, who is tanking the economy, and destroying any agency that provides useful or needed services for the public. Nice. You asked for it, enjoy.
Burns has a second screen name to back himself up and gas light the facts.
The fact is ALL the charges against President Trump have been thrown out by the Court of Appeals and those like Latricia James that prosecuted him are now under indictment for crimes.
Arrest these Top 68 Criminals -Barack & Michelle Obama, Joe, Jill, Hunter, James Biden, John Brennan, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Susan Rice, Hillary, Bill & Chelsea Clinton, John Podesta, Gavin Newsom, Adam SCHIFF, Chuck Schumer, Eric Swalwell, Mike Pence, Cindy & Meagan McCain, Bill Gates, Bennie Thompson, James Clapper, Bill Barr, Jack Smith, Nancy & Paul Pelosi, Adam Kinzinger, James COMEY, Andrew McCabe, Jeh Johnson, Latisha James, George Soros & son Alex, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Cuban, Dr. Death Fauci, Deborah Birx, Robert Mueller, Alejandro Mayorkas, Kamala Harris, Liz Warren, Illhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Amy Klobuchar, Raphael Warnock, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Presley , Jerry Nadler, Merrick Garland, Maxine Waters, Jack Smith, Liz Cheney, Chris Christy, General Milley, Officer Lila Morris, Lt. Michael Byrd, Anthony Blinkin, Lloyd Austin, Stacy Abrams, Robert DeNiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Alexander S. Vindman, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Michael Cohen, Dem. Fed. Governor Lisa Cook, etc.
She is doing just great. Multiple tariff extensions achieved. A cordial respectful relationship has been established. Try being Canadian. Trump won’t even take Carney’s calls at times. Multiple bumps in tariff rates and no extensions. Mexico is doing just fine. I predict a Mexico America trade deal next year without Canada again.