At her Wednesday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum defended herself against a defamatory remark made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
She also spoke about her news consumption habits and a national pact that puts a cap on petrol prices.
Here is a recap of the president’s Sept. 3 mañanera.
Sheinbaum once again rejects Trump’s claim that she is ‘scared’ of drug cartels
A reporter noted that Trump claimed, once again, that Sheinbaum is “scared” of Mexico’s drug cartels.
Trump made the assertion in an interview with the news outlet The Daily Caller.
“So I like the president very much. I think she’s a terrific woman. She’s actually an amazing woman in some, in certain ways, very elegant, beautiful. But Mexico is run by the cartels. It’s run by the cartels. … I’ve offered to send in the military, and she doesn’t want us to do that because she’s scared, she’s very scared,” the U.S. president said.
Sheinbaum initially declined to comment on Trump’s remarks, instead focusing on her upcoming meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which took place at the National Palace on Wednesday morning.
“Today there will be a very good meeting with … Marco Rubio,” she said.
“I’m not going to enter the debate in this case,” Sheinbaum said, noting that Trump previously accused her of being afraid of Mexico’s notorious drug cartels.
“We very much respect the Mexico-United States relationship and President Trump,” she continued, before deciding to change course and offer a public rejection of the U.S. president’s claim.
“This assertion he makes is not true, but we will maintain a good relationship,” Sheinbaum said.
She subsequently thanked Trump for the nice things he said about her in his interview with The Daily Caller this week.
Sheinbaum — ‘A voracious and critical consumer of information’
A reporter noted that the head of the federal government’s Digital Transformation Agency, José “Pepe” Merino, described the president as “a voracious and critical consumer of information.”
She asked Sheinbaum about Merino’s comment and how she keeps up to date with the news.
Sheinbaum said that three times a day she receives a “summary of what appears in the media, what appears on social media and what some [of Mexico’s political] commentators are saying.”
“I get it three times a day,” she stressed.
Sheinbaum said she also checks social media on her phone at around midday, after a quick post-mañanera breakfast and various meetings.
She subsequently reminded reporters that she devoted a lot of her career to “numbers.”
“I studied physics and then I studied energy engineering. And I was a UNAM professor and researcher for 20 years, with periods in which I also worked in government,” Sheinbaum said, referring to her academic career at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
“So my mind is accustomed to making a quick analysis of numbers. So I’m very critical when a graph is presented to me. … Maybe that’s what Pepe was referring to,” she said.
Gasoline price cap deal renewed
Sheinbaum confirmed that an agreement between the government and gas station owners to cap the price of regular gasoline (Magna) at no more than 24 pesos has been renewed.
A six-month agreement took effect earlier in the year.
Sheinbaum said that 98% of gas station owners across Mexico are participating in the voluntary pact.
She advised motorists not to pay more than 24 pesos for a liter of regular gasoline.
“You’ll always find a service station … that has signed the agreement,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
