President Claudia Sheinbaum has said on repeated occasions that she believes Mexico will have a good relationship with the United States during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president. But how have other Mexican politicians reacted to the return of Trump to the White House?
Here is a roundup of what Mexico’s party leaders, lawmakers and state governors have said since Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.
PAN president Jorge Romero calls Trump a ‘bully’
The national president of Mexico’s main opposition party, the National Action Party (PAN), described Trump as a “bully” at a press conference on Monday.
“To that bully called 4T, another bigger bully called Donald Trump has arrived,” Romero said.
4T is an abbreviation of “Fourth Transformation” — a nickname for both the federal government and the political transformation former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador is said to have initiated when he took office in late 2018.
Romero, a former lawmaker who took over the national leadership of the PAN last November, also responded to Trump’s mass deportation plan.
“We’re facing a critical situation that requires clear and humane responses,” he said.
“… We will not allow the government to ignore this threat and to continue failing in its responsibility to Mexican families. … We are not going to allow families to be thrown onto the street without any support,” Romero said.
The federal government on Monday revealed details of its plan to support Mexican immigrants deported from the United States during the second Trump administration.
MC leader warns of ‘consequences’ of second Trump presidency
Jorge Álvarez Máynez, national coordinator of the Citizens Movement (MC) party and a candidate in last year’s presidential election, took to the X social media platform to offer a view on the second Trump presidency.
El mundo vivirá las consecuencias de las decisiones que tome un hombre de 78 años los próximos 4 años.
Tus hijos, y los míos, vivirán las consecuencias. Él no.
— Jorge Álvarez Máynez (@AlvarezMaynez) January 20, 2025
“The world will live the consequences of the decisions a 78-year-old man takes during the next four years. Your children, and mine, will live the consequences. He won’t,” Álvarez wrote without providing any additional explanation of his post.
Mexico unwilling to give up ‘a single millimeter’ of sovereignty to US, says Senate leader
Gerardo Fernández Noroña, a ruling Morena party senator who has been president of the Senate since Sept. 1, said Monday that “we agree with coordination, communication and collaboration with the United States government.”
“But,” he added, “under no circumstance are we willing to give up a single millimeter of our sovereignty and our national independence.”
The politician’s remarks came after Trump signed a number of executive orders directly related to Mexico, including one in which he outlined his intention to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Asked whether he would consider “ordering U.S. special forces into Mexico” to “take out” cartels, the U.S. president said it “could happen” and “stranger things have happened.”
(Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
Fernández said that “the risk of a direct military intervention is unacceptable.”
“We’re an independent and sovereign nation, we’re pacifists, we’re not going to confront the United States army, but we’re not going to allow a military intervention,” he said.
PRI leader takes diplomatic approach
Alejandro Moreno, a federal senator and president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), issued a statement “greeting” Trump on the occasion of his inauguration as president of the United States.
He said that the PRI hopes that the Trump administration will be successful “in benefit of the North American people and the consolidation of a more integrated, democratic and globally competitive North America.”
“… We hope that the government of Mexico is up to the challenges the region will face in order to be able to respond with strategy and intelligence and with character and determination to resolve the economic, security, migration and trade issues and to emerge strengthened as a country and region,” Moreno said.
Governors reject ‘any attempt of external interference’
The governors of Mexico’s 31 states and the mayor of Mexico City all endorsed a Jan. 21 National Governors’ Conference (CONAGO) statement “in defense of our sovereignty and the wellbeing of Mexicans.”
“CONAGO categorically rejects any attempt of external interference that violates our national sovereignty,” the governors said a day after Trump indicated that U.S. military action against cartels in Mexico wasn’t out of the question.
Esta mañana, las y los Gobernadores que integramos la CONAGO (@CONAGO_oficial) suscribimos este documento en respaldo a nuestra Presidenta, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein), y a las y los mexicanos que viven en el exterior, a quienes siempre les tendremos los brazos… pic.twitter.com/ow245uv8wW
— Marina del Pilar (@MarinadelPilar) January 21, 2025
“In defense of our independence and self-determination, we make a call to respect the principles of non-intervention and mutual respect between nations,” the statement said.
The state governors and the Mexico City mayor also expressed their “complete support” for Mexican communities outside Mexico, “particularly those located in the United States.”
PAN senator pleased with (probable) designation of cartels as terrorists
PAN Senator Lilly Téllez said on X on Tuesday that she was “pleased” that “my initiative to designate cartels as terrorists is reality,” even though it occurred in the United States rather than Mexico.
She made that remark even though the official designation hasn’t yet occurred.
Téllez, a former journalist, said that designating cartels as terrorist organizations has been “her greatest wish since 1999 when I reported on cartels and survived an attack.”
She said that Trump’s executive order on cartels “is a first step toward the truth: in Mexico there is a narco state.”
In another X post, Téllez said that “the threat for Mexico is Morena, not Trump.”
“Morena protects the cartels, Trump goes against them,” she wrote.
Mexico should seek ‘gradual disconnection’ from US, says Morena lower house leader
In a column for Milenio newspaper that he also published on his personal website, Ricardo Monreal said that it was “tough” for Mexicans “to go to bed [on Jan. 19] knowing that we’re the main trade partner of the United States and to wake up [on Jan. 20] finding out that we’re the source of the main ills that afflict our neighbors to the north.”
“We’re a toxic neighbor for the new administration. The main threat for their security, their economy and their wellbeing is not Gaza or Ukraine or Iran but rather Mexico,” wrote the ruling party’s leader in the Chamber of Deputies.
The politician was referring to Trump’s executive orders regarding the “emergency” at the Mexico-U.S. border, Mexican cartels, trade and other issues.
“In the immediate term, as President Claudia Sheinbaum has established, we will gladly cooperate, collaborate and coordinate with our neighbor in order to confront problems such as fentanyl and irregular migration, but [we will do so] without kneeling down [or] subordinating ourselves,” Monreal wrote.
“… In the medium and long term we have to start the second independence of Mexico. In other words the gradual, orderly and planned disconnection from … [the country that] has decided to close itself off and fence itself in,” he said, making an apparent reference to Trump’s border wall.
“Let’s be the second or third [trade] partner of the rest of the world, of the emerging powers, taking advantage [of the fact] that we’re one of the countries with the most free trade agreements on the planet,” Monreal wrote.
“That means turning on the motor of the internal market, promoting a common market with Latin America and welcoming to these lands emerging powers, their products, goods and investment,” he said without mentioning any specific countries.
“It might take us a generation to carry out this restructuring but we have overcome worse heartaches,” Monreal said.
Mexico News Daily
Not all those from the United States are MAGA. Many of us are thankful for our beloved Mexican (and Canadian) neighbors. We are appalled by the insanity of the orange menace. I have lived in Sonora for over 24 years and if I’m lucky will spend the rest of my life here and not have to return “north.”
Well said. Love name Orange Menace
AGREED tomatah1!
Ditto, Julie
Hey, tomatah1@aol.com.
If I may ask, where do you live in Sonora; and what are some of your favorite things about where you live?
If you would rather answer outside these comments, feel free to send me an email at my proton email address.
Agreed and well said. Let’s think about how we can best reassure our Mexican neighbors, friends and the Goverment that we oppose xenophobic policies and utterances coming out of the White House.
I actually hope that you and others like you don’t return. We actually need more people in the USA that actually care more about their country, than their political views. Our social security and welfare systems cannot take anymore freeloaders. All these immigrants only increase the national debt. Your president just let millions of uneducated and criminals into our country. Please stay where you are, will continue to send you your SS check from this awful country of ours.
Eres un pendejo….La gran mayoría de inmigrantes NO son Mexicanos….El responsable es Joe Biden….EL abrió la frontera!
You aré right, your country is awful and your stupid comments illustrates clearly why. Dumbass.
I didn’t read everything, but Trump is a bully and doesn’t care about people. Those who voted for him are going to realize it was a huge mistake as everything Trump wants to do is going to reverberate in every aspect of what affects everyone. Such a very sad time for everyone. I just hope he doesn’t see himself as another hitler and starts executing those he doesn’t like. Namely immigrants.
TRUMP wants to be dictator for life. you watch, and the killings if he starts will be like Hitler, all secret. We have to watch closely what he does, and VANCE who is a total snake.
Really,a bully?what do you call the people that threatened him before he was president in 2016.carried out the threat with false charges numerous times and when that failed,possibly tried to assassinate him a week after Biden said it was time to put a target on him. I’ll wait…….
What do you call the drug cartels that have been killing tens of thousands of Americans,not to mention the exploitation of children.what is it,some 400,000 missing illegal children.and what about the murder of mexican citizens,politicians ,and tourists.they your heros? Mexico is a tourist haven that won’t happen because of them. Wake up for heavens sake
Por little Orange thing. He has been so poorly treated. Perhaps he should go to confesión and plead forgiveness.
I agree. The Trump syndrome is alive and well in most of these posts .while a democratic governor let’s California burn, you wine about Trump. Time will show the truth.
Hahahahaja
You dumbass…Trump will fik up YOUR life, as well as all the SANE Americans who see him for what he IS: a goddam LYING, CHEATING, GRIFTING, RAPING, SOCIOPATHIC sonofabitch….
What will the designation of cartels as terrorist organisation change in Mexico?
For Mexico, it changes nothing as you imply. However, for the United States, the proclamation focus’ efforts of the governmental agencies to dig deeper and somewhat, “unleashes the Kraken”, in a non-violent sense. The Deoartment of Justice will now research (and I’m sure it won’t be too hard), to identify assets under the control or influence of the Cartels. It’s going to sting when billions of dollars, both here in the US and abroad, are frozen and seized. Moreover, once the links from the cartels to powerful and influential Mexican officials is exposed the truth is going to be hard to run from. And, once those links are exposed, the Department of State can then ban travel to the US and designate Mexican officials with ties to cartels. While this may not change or alter much in Mexico at first, four years is going to be hard for the Cartels, and their enablers, to endure. Enacting the national intelligence collection agencies will provide the actionable intelligence and provide factual evidence on complicitness across the Mexican government. I am sure that if the evidence is egregious enough and Mexico fails to act and dismantle their beloved Cartels, the ever-present MQ-1 Reaper with a nearly inexhaustible supply of Hellfire missiles will surely start to get attention and compel Mexican action. Fortunately, we’re not there yet, but don’t rule it out in 2026 and beyond. I personally don’t think we’ll exacalte to the Hellfires, because the Department of Commerce, also enacted into this will place enough leverage on the USMCA that a prolonged tariff war will surely hurt Mexico more than it will Americans. Unfrotunately, he Mexican officials are too focused on labeling Trump as a bully to recognize that they are occurring off their nose to spite their face. In the old days, and their are fantastic international relations books written about this kind of stuff–Realpolitik. Our ancestral administrations use to use this, but it seemed to go out of style around Obama.
Can we get an edit button, please? I proofread, and my online grammar and spellchecker obviously didn’t do its job.
Thank you for some common sense too many daft comments from the left.
Being a Mexican American, born in Mexico, I am ashamed of my former country. Their corruption has no bounds. Their president (presidenta) won’t tell the truth, that their economy relies heavily on the drug and illegal immigrant money being sent home. Imagine cutting off the remittances $60 billion + per year. The unknown billions from the drug cartels. She lies to her citizens, not acknowledging that she secretly relies on the funds her country receives from those sources. Couldn’t function without them. So, claims she’s against the cartels, but needs their profits to be spent in Mexico. The cartels employ tens of thousands of people.
Will be able to take them out. Take their assets outside that narco state called Mexico. I was born in Mexico, so ashamed of what that corrupt country has become. Now they think that socialism is the answer to all their problems SMH
Well why do such BRILLIANT Americans Buy all these drugs. Therein lies the solution.
Since someone asked:
Declaring drug cartels to be terrorists allows the president to use the national security apparatus (satellite surveillance, electronic intercepts, special operations, foreign intelligence sharing, etc.) instead of being limited to traditional law enforcement.
Trump probably thinks that designating the Mexican cartels as terrorists will allow him to (with the stroke of a pen) sweep the US border states looking for cartel but in reality it will be a drag net for undocumented immigrants
Senor ken,your having a nightmare.nowhere did he say all undocumented people.what part don’t you get.its criminals criminals and gangs. Or do you think it’s funny for a woman to be tortured with her fingernails pulled out.or another being set on fire alive till death while the butcher sat and watched.
I am so grateful to live in Mexico with thoughtful, well-spoken politicians of all stripes, working together and sharing so many good values with all of the Mexican people.
You must share whatever is that you smoke to believe in these grandstanding blowhards . Dumb gringo
I don’t think anything can compare to the last 4 years in the USA.: Antifa & BLM Riots (with little to no repercussions to the rabble; Inflation thru the roof; Russia collusion hoax; the Biden laptop that all those so called experts said was Russian Disinformation; The Biden Crime family who all have been pre-emptively pardoned from 2014 on (even though they are all innocent); the bumbling Biden show (but the press said he was as sharp as a tack; the Covid VAX hoax that now is unfolding to show a lot of people were damaged.
Etc, etc,
We survived Trump 45 and with Trup 47, things will get better.
What is wrong with wanting to stop ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH DEPORTING CRIMINALS.
Get a life people! You lost the election, live with it. Give him a chance and then judge him.
Nothing wrong with deportimg criminales as long as you do the job properly starting with your reelected president and the majority of His proposed cabinet. Dumbass.
I think the thing that worries me, is if the people that live here will be targeted. If that happens it could cause an all war.
Bravo Lilly Tellez!
The cartels are the enemy, not Trump. Neither Amlo, Claudia, or the other politicians above have the guts to tell it like it is. Lilly and Trump do. The rest put their heads in the sand.
They are paid off
Right on
I agree
I hope to continue to spend December to April in Mexico every year as I have in the past. i worked in the USA to support the campaigns of the Democratic Party. Unfortunately we were not successful.
I have always enjoyed my time in Mexico and care about my Mexican friends. Thank you, Mexico for welcoming me. I apologize for the current US president. Please understand that we are not all full of hatred, but respectful of Mexico.
Please stay there year round. Traitor to your country
One day you’ll wake up to the lies you’ve been told. Sorry for your ignorance.
TU eres el verdadero traidor 🤣🤣corriste a EEUU con tu culo entre los codos….Si eres chingon, vente pa Mexico, culero…
Im not a cartel fan, so I am glad for the designation. I too am happy living in Mexico but I do believe that Mexico could be so much more without the cartel.
Totally agree. Your country is a powerhouse but the Narco State is killing your country’s forward momentum.
Agreed
¡Viva México! 🇲🇽
Law enforcement in Canada today announced that they stopped a loaded semi-truck at the Canadian border with a record breaking 900 Kg of Cocain from Mexico cartels. Millions of Canadian noses will be saved by this effort and maybe our legalized Marijuana industry can take up the slack and become profitable after all these years. It’s cost our Canadian government umpteen millions to change the laws and institute a distribution system for the government grown weed. Private companies have opened 1000s of storefronts to sell this packaged weed, foods infused with weed and accessories. In our City there’s one of these storefronts almost every city block which I find ridiculous.
It’s all about tacos.
It Is increíble how Americans (I presume) love to criticize the more recent Mexican administrations for a lack of results regarding the cartels. This Is nothing new. None of the previous political parties did anything, when It was nothing like as serious as It has grown into. That apart, the problem Is basically because Americans initially were the prime and major consumers of drugs, (not only illegal ones). You have exacerbated the situation by supplying arms freely to Mexico. Get off the high horses and face the fact that we all have to take part of the blame for letting it get this far out of control. American políticas thus far have done nothing either.
Bravo! Of all these comments, many unhelpful,here’s the white elephant rarely spoke of. Reduction of drug users= US buyers-the vast majority of Cartel clients + tightening of US gun laws ( vast majority of military grade weapons cartels use come from US)= starvation of Cartels. But with this election, I believe, much more despair in the US= more drug users and it goes without saying loose gun laws will continue to fuel cartels. Yeah, Mexico has responsibility too with its culture of “ lacking castigar” and intermittent cowardice, but the rich irony of my country criticizing cartels should not be overlooked.
Indeed
Correcto 👍
Agree 100%! US citizens are the ones demanding the illegal drugs, and the US is most certainly providing the arms and weaponry used by the cartels. I am NOT and never will be a Trump fan, but I agree with addressing the mass (illegal) immigration problem. Biden did zero to curtail the millions who poured into the US Illegally during his administration. That, plus inflation, cost the Dems the election. So far, I am supportive of Mexico’s new President. Give her some time to face all the challenges and provide solid solutions.
Right ON point, Dems handed the election to TRAMP….EXACTLY for the reasons you specified.
SCWEAVE. I totally agree with you!
Well phrancis4818… obviously you didn’t pay any attention to his campaign promises prior to the election, or the conduct of ICE during his first term. They were non documented but they were not all criminals.
Aren’t drugs and their consumption about supply and demand?! Just sayin’
All you “idiots” living in fancy homes, driving beautiful cars, wearing nice cloths, parting every night, dancing, “open” your eye’s “WIDE OPON” because you are totally “blind” with what is happening every day. First the “CARTELS” own Mexico, they are in control of your government, not your “President “as well as all the other “corrupt politicians” who are in the Payroll” off the Cartels. The “cartels” tell tells the president Sheinbaum when to “sit down” and when to “stand up”. If she doesn’t play ball with them, she somehow “disappears” from being the president overnight These are “true” and “cold facts” well documented in the newspapers for all personas have read them before. I didn’t make them up. These past events show the “strength” and just how strong the “entire” Cartel organization is and in control of your country. If you don’t believe these facts. try asking the president and the Army to get involve and changing them and see what happens to you and family members. You might find and see your head hanging from a “bridge”. Scary isn’t it, but that is the “reality” of all regions of Mexico. President Sheinbaum has a tremendous job” and a Hugh challenge in trying to change these conditions for a better and safer Mexico. She needs all our “prayers”. And the help of President Trump because, of the “magnitude ” of the problem. Before your start “tearing down the United States government, your ought to “thank God for having, the US as your neighbor instead of Russia or Ira. Remember the “words” and “thoughts” you say today, can come right back, and “hunt” you tomorrow. We all have to work together to make this a better “world”. Find real and “true” solutions to all our problems, “criticism” does resolve anything.
Right ON point, Dems handed the election to TRAMP….EXACTLY for the reasons you specified.
This to will pass. I have been an American citizen for over 7 decades, and have lived through the administrations of 12 presidents. Our friendship with Mexico has never faltered during that time. There are mean spirited people on both sides of the border, but the Americans and Mexicans that I have met in my life just want to work hard, play hard, and take care of their friends, families and neighbors. President Trump has some good ideas, and some very bad ideas, but at the end of the day, our great countries will make it through this period stronger than when it started.
I am a US expat living in Mexico and have the perspective of living in both the U.S. and Mexico. I can say without reservation that criticizing Trump and his policies is completely justified. Excusing or appeasing him is not. In fact he has got too much of a free pass from the media and his MAGA worshipers. The truth is Trump is a stain on U.S. democracy and is not looking out for anyone’s best interests but his own. By contrast Mexico is fortunate to have an intelligent, capable and confident leader like Claudia Sheinbaum. I believe she will do what is best for Mexico.
Couldn’t have said it better!
Whoa – I am CANADIAN expat and hope to live the rest of my life here in Mexico. To those who write about the cartels “killing people” with Fentanyl I say “did someone FORCE the drug down your throat? WTF happened to me”just saying No Thank You”??