Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Sheinbaum ‘ready’ for dialogue with Trump administration: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

On the “Trump Risk Index” developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Mexico ranked as “the most exposed country overall” to expected policy changes during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president.

Trump’s return to the White House is now just five days away, and Mexico could be affected almost immediately as the U.S. president-elect has pledged to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports on the first day of his presidency and promptly put his mass deportation plan into action.

At her morning press conference on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about how her government will attempt to ward off the proposed tariff, and reiterated that Mexico is ready to receive Mexicans deported from the United States.

President hopes to avert US tariffs through dialogue 

A reporter noted that Trump announced on social media that he will “create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources.”

Asked how the federal government would “combat” Trump’s pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports to the United States, Sheinbaum responded that her administration would “have dialogue with the United States government,” but didn’t say how soon it would occur.

Sheinbaum on Wednesday reiterated her support of the USMCA, and said that her government supports extending that economic model to "other countries of the Americas."
Sheinbaum on Wednesday reiterated her support of the USMCA, and said that her government supports extending that economic model to “other countries of the Americas.” (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)

Trump’s tariff threat “is something that is not new,” she said.

“He has said it several times and we, in that sense, don’t agree,” Sheimbaum said.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said that “through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves.”

Sheinbaum on Wednesday said that the USMCA free trade pact “has benefited the United States a lot” in terms of jobs and production.

“And really, in the case of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, we complement each other,” she added.

Sheinbaum also reiterated her belief that the integration of the Mexican, U.S. and Canadian economies allows North America to “better compete” with other regions of the world.

The objective of the Mexican government is to expand that integration to “other countries of the Americas,” she said.

Sheinbaum reiterates that Mexico is ready to receive deportees 

Sheinbaum said earlier this month that the federal government’s plan to receive large numbers of deportees from the United States during Trump’s second term as president is “ready.”

Migrants moving north from Tapachula, Chiapas in late 2024
It appears likely that Mexico will receive a significant number of deportees during Trump’s second term as president, if not the millions he has promised to expel. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)

On Wednesday, she reiterated that the government is prepared to welcome Mexicans expelled from the United States.

“Of course, we don’t agree [with Trump’s mass deportation plan] and that’s why we defend the work of Mexicans in the United States who contribute to the Mexican economy [with remittances] but contribute more to the economy of the United States,” Sheinbaum said.

“But in the case of a decision by the United States government [to deport immigrants en masse] we are prepared,” she said.

“We’re going to present [the government’s plan] in due course, we don’t need to release it in advance. We’ve been working now for several months … in order to be able to welcome our compatriots in the best way in the case of there being deportations,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum: Pemex’s debt with suppliers will be paid off in March

Sheinbaum said that money owed to suppliers of state oil company Pemex will be completely paid off in March.

A “special strategy” was formulated to settle debts with suppliers, she said.

“In March we’ll finish paying. … We’re paying now, in February and in March,” Sheinbaum said.

Mexico News Daily reported in December that some suppliers and service providers for Pemex were facing severe financial difficulties as the beleaguered company had fallen behind on payments.

Pemex has total debt of close to US $100 billion.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

18 COMMENTS

  1. Sheinbaum “don’t “piss off” Trump “and be very careful “what you say to him.”. It wouldn’t hurt for you to carry a Rosary during your meeting with him. Kick all Chaneses out of Mexico. And don’t deal with the, at all.
    “Que Dios bendega Mexico”

  2. She’s already capitulated to Trump before he’s even back in the whitehouse. But it’s all a military operation and Mexico is just as criminal by criminals as the USA and Canada both are. The military operation that’s ongoing will clean out all the deep state bad actors no matter which country they are operating in, which tunnel they’re using for trafficking ands which politicians they control. Once you understand it’s a global military operation with many countries participating and working in unison with the commander in chief Trump, then you’ll understand that it has to be this way to prevent civil wars. Shiba as I call her out at least spell check does, was put in by the cartel and will brew likely taken out by the cartel cuz she offers no protection for them against the global military that’s all working together to eradicate the world wide criminals both above and below ground, thereby freeing the women and children that are the sacrificial lambs traded for $$$$$.

  3. She can completely change the relationship with Trump by seeing to it Mexico FINALLY gets serious about its responsibilities regarding the border and specifically putting a stop to outsiders using Mexico as a conduit to and across that border. For example, being responsible about seeing to it these border jumpers don’t openly ride Mexican trains to the border. Stop those trains, take all those people riding on top of them and send them back to where they came from. Also, put a stop to the harassment goods from the U.S. face at the border while goods moving the other way are treated far better. And don’t let the Chinese use Mexico as a staging ground. The Chinese are no one’s friends, including Mexico.

    If instead she decides to get into a pissing match with Trump, she isn’t going to like the results. Clean version of FAFO: Fool around, find out.

  4. Trump is definitely the wild card here, no one can predict what he will do, I think he’ll go ahead with the tariff as he has promised his loyal followers but will eventually go back to zero, time will tell, but it could get scary

  5. Mexico’s responsibilities
    1. Stop fentanyl production
    2. Stop migration from the southern border
    3. Deal with our growing insecurity and cartel penetration of political institutions & economy
    4. Build broader trade relations diversifying from the US.
    5. Beware of China

    US. responsibilities
    1. Address your opioid crisis started by your own big pharmas corporations. Reduce the demand of fentanyl.
    2. Stop weapons exports to Mexico cartels. It is destabilizing the country.
    3. Acknowledge that you need migrants for certain industries, eg, agriculture, construction, services. Set a program for labor immigration that is both business friendly and fair to migrants.
    4. Don’t bully your neighbors and top trading partners. You need them if you want to disengage from China.

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the presidential podium touching her right ear with the fingers of her right hand as she speaks to reporters.

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