At her Thursday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about her imminent trip to Washington, D.C., her first journey to the United States since she was sworn in as Mexico’s first female leader just over 14 month ago.

The main purpose of her trip is to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, but she said on Thursday that she may get the opportunity to speak about trade with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump didn’t write the whole deal, but USMCA exists because his administration pushed to renegotiate NAFTA. Talks began at his insistence, and the final agreement was signed in 2018. So Trump basically called himself stupid. 🤦‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/ibzxtRuHaS

— Melanie 🇨🇦 (@Mellyfax) December 4, 2025

Sheinbaum also told reporters that she is confident that the USMCA will endure, even after Trump said on Wednesday that the United States “will either let [the trade pact] expire” next year “or maybe work out another deal with Mexico and Canada.”

Sheinbaum’s plans in Washington

Sheinbaum told reporters that she would fly to Washington, D.C., on Thursday evening in order to attend the World Cup draw on Friday.

“We’re going to use a Ministry of National Defense plane,” she said, explaining that she didn’t have time to take commercial flights because of her schedule.

“We’ll sleep in a hotel in Washington, tomorrow we’ll go to the event at the Kennedy Center,” Sheinbaum said.

She said that “everything seems to indicate” that she will have a brief meeting with Trump and Canadian Prime Minister during the event at which the World Cup draw will take place. Sheinbaum said she could raise trade issues with Trump, who has imposed tariffs on a range of imports from Mexico this year.

At the World Cup draw event, Sheinbaum suggested she will be on stage for just four minutes while it is determined which group Mexico will be in at next year’s tournament, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

When a reporter erroneously asked her whether she was excited to participate in the FIFA “tournament” — rather than the draw — the president quickly pointed out that she wouldn’t be taking the field as a player.

She subsequently recalled that she played soccer when she was a primary school and middle-school student.

“I did ballet, that was my main physical activity, but I always liked sport,” Sheinbaum said.

She told reporters that after the World Cup draw she would meet with U.S.-based Mexicans at an undisclosed location.

Sheinbaum to make first US trip as president Friday: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

She said she would fly back to Mexico City on Friday night ahead of a “celebration” in the capital’s main square, the Zócalo, on Saturday to mark the seventh anniversary of the “fourth transformation” political project.

The “fourth transformation,” or 4T — as the Morena party political project is known — officially began when former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office on Dec. 1, 2018.

Sheinbaum advocates the creation of a larger trade bloc in the Americas  

Turning her focus to the USMCA, which will undergo a formal review process in 2026, Sheinbaum said that the North American free trade pact is “very important for the three countries” — Mexico, the United States and Canada.

“It’s the guarantee of the competitiveness of this region of the world in relation to the entire world,” she said.

Sheinbaum added that “our objective” has always been to expand the USMCA “toward the south” — i.e. bring Central American and South American countries into the free trade bloc.

The Americas would thus have “enormous strength” and be in a better position to compete with Asia and Europe, she said.

Asked whether she had a message for the companies that rely on the USMCA, Sheinbaum expressed confidence that Mexico will achieve a good outcome from the review of the trade pact.

“The three countries need each other,” she said.

“The United States depends on Mexico a lot, and on the Mexicans there as well,” she said.

“… The economic integration of the three countries is enormous, and particularly that of Mexico and the United States. So removing that integration would cause a lot of problems for the United States and also for Mexico. Staying together is very important for the region, for our people and for our nations,” Sheinbaum said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)