At her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about her government’s efforts to stave off new U.S. tariffs that are due to take effect next week.
She also spoke about two significant reductions: one in the amount of fentanyl seized by U.S. authorities at the Mexico-U.S. border and another in the prevailing inflation rate in Mexico.
Here is a recap of the president’s July 24 mañanera.
Mexico doing ‘everything’ it can to stop 30% US tariffs from taking effect
Asked about the United States’ proposed 30% tariff on imports from Mexico that is scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1, Sheinbaum said that her government is doing “everything” it can to stop the new duty from entering into force.
“There is a team working in the United States with the [U.S.] commerce secretary and the treasury secretary,” she said.
“We made a series of proposals that have to do with Plan México and also reducing the trade deficit [with the United States], which is one of the concerns of President Trump,” Sheinbaum said.
“The trade deficit can be reduced through different mechanisms that don’t affect the economy of Mexico. So we’ve been making a series of proposals and we’ll present them here [at a later time], hoping that we reach an agreement,” she said.
US announces 30% tariff on Mexican goods as bilateral talks continue
United States President Donald Trump informed Sheinbaum in a July 11 letter that “starting August 1, 2025, we will charge Mexico a Tariff of 30% on Mexican products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral Tariffs,” which currently apply to steel, aluminum, vehicles and auto parts.
In the letter, Trump noted that the United States “imposed Tariffs on Mexico” earlier this year “to deal with our Nation’s Fentanyl crisis.”
“… Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done is, is not enough,” he wrote.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum said she would seek to speak to Trump about the proposed 30% tariff “if it’s necessary.”
“… We’re going to see whether the teams can find an agreement. … We’re confident we can reach a good agreement,” she said.
Sheinbaum touts 50% decline in US fentanyl seizures
Sheinbaum told reporters that the quantity of fentanyl seized by U.S. authorities at the Mexico-U.S. border has declined 50% since she took office last October.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows that 4,367 pounds (1,981 kg) of fentanyl were seized at the Mexico-U.S. border in the first six months of 2025, a 54.7% decrease compared to the same period of last year.
Sheinbaum asserted that the decline in fentanyl seizures at the border — which can be used as a rough proxy to estimate the amount of fentanyl being smuggled into the United States from Mexico — is evidence that more of the synthetic opioid is being seized in Mexico.
That confiscated fentanyl — produced in Mexico by criminal organizations with precursor chemicals imported from China — doesn’t reach the United States, she stressed.
Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported on Tuesday that around 1.5 tonnes of fentanyl, “and more than 3.5 million fentanyl pills,” have been seized in Mexico since October.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum attributed fentanyl seizures in Mexico during her administration to “the entire security strategy,” which includes a greater emphasis on the use of intelligence and investigation to combat crime.
#MañaneraPresidenta | ¡QUE EE.UU TAMBIÉN HAGA SU PARTE!
Claudia Sheinbaum dijo que desde octubre de 2024 a la fecha se ha reducido un 50% el tráfico de fentanilo a Estados Unidos. Algo reconocido por las instituciones de ese país.
Esto gracias a la estrategia de seguridad.… pic.twitter.com/jkFf6L7JVM
— Juncal Solano (@juncalssolano) July 24, 2025
She stressed that authorities are also cracking down on methamphetamine, which is also produced by criminal groups in clandestine labs.
García Harfuch said on Tuesday that authorities have dismantled 1,193 clandestine drug labs since the government took office in October.
Sheinbaum highlighted that figure on Thursday, and noted that the estimated financial impact on organized crime groups due to drug confiscations, the dismantling of labs and the arrest of suspected criminals during her administration is 43 billion pesos (US $2.3 billion).
“All of this is part of the work we’re doing, and, as we always say, we’re also seeking that, on the other side in the United States, they do their part” to combat the distribution of fentanyl and other drugs, she said.
Sheinbaum highlights ‘significant reduction’ in inflation
A reporter noted that Mexico’s annual headline inflation rate, as reported by national statistics agency INEGI, declined to 3.55% in the first half of July. That rate is within the Bank of Mexico’s tolerated range of 2-4%.
En la primera quincena de julio 2025, el Índice Nacional de Precios al Consumidor #INPC presentó un nivel de 140.731 y representó un aumento de 0.15% respecto a la quincena previa. Con este resultado, la inflación general anual fue de 3.55%.
Por componente, la inflación anual… pic.twitter.com/I0mVGG5K9z
— INEGI INFORMA (@INEGI_INFORMA) July 24, 2025
Sheinbaum first said that beef, pork and chicken prices are “returning to their [normal] price” and helping to ease inflation.
The rate in the first half of the month represents a “significant reduction” in headline inflation, she said.
“It went from 4.13% to 3.55%,” Sheinbaum noted, referring in the first instance to the annual headline rate in the second half of June.
She said that the new inflation data gives the Bank of Mexico the “margin” required to continue lowering its key interest rate.
A continuation of the central bank’s easing cycle “will help us … increase investment” in Mexico, Sheinbaum said.
The Bank of Mexico has cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points after each of its board’s four monetary policy meetings this year. The rate is currently set at 8.0%, its lowest level in nearly three years.
The central bank’s next monetary policy meeting will take place on Aug. 7.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
