As Mexico’s “Year of the Indigenous Woman” nears its end, President Claudia Sheinbaum took the opportunity at her Wednesday morning press conference to heap praise on the country’s female Indigenous artisans.
She also responded to remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview and spoke about Mexico’s state-owned airline, which has now been flying for almost two years.
Sheinbaum responds to Trump’s latest remarks on a possible US military attack in Mexico
A reporter asked Sheinbaum for a response to Trump’s latest remarks about the possible use of U.S. military force in Mexico.
In an interview with Politico, Trump, after declaring that the U.S. is going to hit Venezuelan drug traffickers “on land very soon,” was asked whether he would “consider doing something similar with Mexico and Colombia that are even more responsible for fentanyl trafficking into the U.S.”
“Yeah, I would. Sure. I would,” the U.S. president responded a few weeks after he said he would be willing to launch military strikes against cartel targets in Mexico.
Sheinbaum responded to Trump’s remarks in the same way as she has previously responded, declaring that a U.S. military attack in Mexico “is not going to happen.”
It won’t happen “first of all, because it’s not necessary,” she said.
“Secondly, because we’re a sovereign country and we would never accept a foreign intervention,” Sheinbaum continued.
“Thirdly, because we already have a security understanding with the United States.”
Sheinbaum acknowledged that Trump has his own way of “thinking” on the issue, although his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the United States wouldn’t take unilateral decisions and … send American forces into Mexico.”
She also said that there are “a lot of things” that Mexico and the U.S. don’t agree on, but her government still seeks the best possible relationship with its U.S. counterpart.
“And until now, it’s been very respectful,” said Sheinbaum, who had her first in-person meeting with Trump at the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington D.C. last Friday.
‘Mexicana is doing very well’
Sheinbaum noted that the state-owned commercial airline Mexicana took possession on Tuesday of an Embraer plane, the fifth of 20 new planes it is set to receive from the Brazilian manufacturer.
Hoy recibimos en Mexicana la quinta aeronave E195-E2, Matrícula XA-MXE.
Un paso más en la modernización de nuestra flota y en nuestro compromiso por ofrecer una experiencia de viaje más eficiente, cómoda y sostenible. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/SDMduQ4ive— Mexicana Vuela (@MexicanaVuela_) December 10, 2025
“Mexicana is doing very well,” she said.
“It’s not only increasing its flights, but obviously its passengers as well,” Sheinbaum said.
In the first 10 months of 2025, a total of 343,196 passengers flew on regular Mexicana flights, an increase of 48% compared to the same period of last year.
The airline’s hub is the Felipe Ángeles International Airport in México state, from where it flies to various Mexican cities, including Tijuana, Tulum, Mérida and Los Cabos.
Sheinbaum said that plans are in the works for Mexicana to reach new destinations.
Mexicana is “proof that there can be a profitable airline of the Mexican state,” even while offering tickets that are cheaper than those of its competitors, allowing “more people to travel by plane,” she said.
Sheinbaum’s fashion secrets
Asked about her inclusion on The New York Times’ list of “The 67 most stylish people of 2025,” Sheinbaum said she appreciated the recognition but declared that the credit should, in fact, go to Mexico’s Indigenous artisans.
“Who we have to thank are the Mexican Indigenous artisans, for what they give to Mexico, for their creativity, for the beauty with which they embroider,” said the president, who in her first year in office “has drawn attention to the country’s Indigenous fashion by wearing embroidered clothing,” according to the Times.
Sheinbaum said that “in each embroidery” by a Mexican artisan “there is not only a lot of work,” but also “tradition, history [and] legacy.”
“… In addition, each embroidery represents something that a woman, mainly Indigenous, designed and conceived,” she said.
Sheinbaum also told reporters that she is gifted a lot of huipiles and other items of clothing during her weekend tours of Mexico, during which she likes to get up close and personal with supporters.
In addition, she noted that there is a seamstress in San Pedro Mártir, an “original town” in the Mexico City borough of Tlalpan, who has made dresses for her for a long time.
“There is another seamstress from Tlaxcala who helped me make my dress for September 15,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the date on which she delivered the national Cry of Independence from the central balcony of the National Palace.
The president also acknowledged a colleague, Thelma, who helps her to choose what to wear.
Sheinbaum added that she feels “very proud” to wear pieces made by Indigenous artisans “because the weavers, the embroiderers, everyone who has a telar de cintura [backstrap loom] … are the pride of the nation.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
