President Claudia Sheinbaum hit back at Donald Trump after the United States president-elect claimed that that she agreed in a call on Wednesday to “stop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our southern border.”
In a post to social media on Wednesday night, Sheinbaum said that she told Trump that “Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
Her conversation with the incoming president came two days after he pledged to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican and Canadian exports to the United States on the first day of his second term as U.S. president due to what he described as the “long simmering problem” of drugs and “illegal aliens” entering the U.S.
Sheinbaum responded to Trump’s tariff threat in a letter, telling him that a U.S. tariff on Mexican exports would be met with another tariff “in response.”
In her letter, she also highlighted that “encounters” between United States authorities and migrants on the Mexico-U.S. border declined 75% between December 2023 and November 2024, and pointed out that Mexican authorities have seized tonnes of drugs so far this year, confiscated more than 10,000 weapons and arrested over 15,000 people “for violence related to drug trafficking.”
Conflicting accounts of the same call
On Wednesday afternoon, Sheinbaum described her call with Trump as “excellent,” writing on X that they discussed “the Mexican strategy” to attend to the “migration phenomenon.”
“I shared that [migrant] caravans aren’t arriving at the northern border because they are taken care of in Mexico,” she said.
“We also spoke about strengthening collaboration on security issues within the framework of our sovereignty, and about the campaign we’re carrying out in the country to prevent the use of fentanyl,” Sheinbaum wrote.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social that he had “a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico” and that “she has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
“We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!” he said.
Trump gave no indication that he had decided to cancel his tariff plan as a result of the commitment he alleged he received from Sheinbaum.
In a separate Truth Social post, the former and future U.S. president asserted that “Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately.”
“THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!” added Trump, who threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican exports during his first term as president but ultimately didn’t after Mexico agreed to ramp up enforcement against migrants.
In another post to Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon, Trump wrote:
“I will be working on a large scale United States Advertising Campaign, explaining how bad Fentanyl is for people to use – Millions of lives being so needlessly destroyed. By the time the Campaign is over, everyone will know how really bad the horror of this Drug is.”
Sheinbaum: ‘Everyone has their own way of communicating’
At her morning press conference on Thursday, Sheinbaum reiterated that she didn’t make any commitment to “effectively” close Mexico’s northern border.
“Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you … that we never suggested that we were going to close the border, we would be incapable [of doing so],” she said.
“… It has never been our approach and of course we don’t agree with that. President Trump has his way of communicating but what we spoke about on the call was essentially … [Mexico’s] strategy” to stem the flow of migrants, Sheinbaum said.
She elaborated on that strategy at her morning press conference, noting that it includes the expansion of the federal government’s employment programs, the Sowing Life reforestation initiative and the Youths Building the Future apprenticeship scheme, to countries in Central America.
Mexico also detains large numbers of migrants before deporting them or bussing them back to the country’s south, where they began their perilous journeys to the U.S. border.
Trump, Sheinbaum said, “recognized this effort that is being made.”
She said that she also spoke to Trump about the “fentanilo mata” (fentanyl kills) awareness campaign launched by the government of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“He was very interested,” the president said, adding that Trump requested information about the campaign.
Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, who was with the president when she spoke to Trump, has already sent the information to the president-elect’s team, Sheinbaum said.
She noted that she also spoke to Trump about security issues.
“He asked me how we can collaborate. I told him that within the framework of our sovereignty there are schemes for collaboration,” Sheinbaum said.
The president said that she and Trump didn’t specifically speak about tariffs, and rejected claims that Mexico and the United States would engage in a “tariff war,” even though she has indicated her government would retaliate against any U.S. duties imposed on Mexican exports.
“It was a very friendly conversation. We agreed there is going to be a good relationship,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
Maybe Trump is hard of hearing now?
A. He is not President yet, so should not be engaging in calls with foreign heads of state.
B. He doesn’t use interpreters, though I assume the call was in English. Pretty sure he doesn’t speak Spanish!
C. We could make a LOT of headway in reducing the fentanyl/cartel problem by closing down the hundreds of gun dealers along the border from whom they buy their
weapons.
Regarding B – His English isn’t all that great either.
😂😂
As to your Point “B,” Pres. Trump does not require a ‘perito-traductor-interprete”….except for English.
Basically, Trump lies about nearly everything. Why should we be surprised that he is twisting the words of Sheinbaum? He wants to be able to say, “See I just took care of the border problem with one phone call,” then blame Mexico of course when the problems continue. POS.
The Trumpy Spin! Look out as she is much more believable than he is. He still hasn’t come to grip with the damage that can be caused in all three countries if he does or tries to do anything that comes out of his brainless mouth. Even if the morons that surround him don’t speak up, you can bet the biz community is going to scream.
Ha! A leader of a country standing up to Trump .And a female no less. Huzzah !
“I shared that [migrant] caravans aren’t arriving at the northern border because they are taken care of in Mexico,” she said.
“We also spoke about strengthening collaboration on security issues within the framework of our sovereignty, and about the campaign we’re carrying out in the country to prevent the use of fentanyl,” Sheinbaum wrote.
It is unwise for Mexico to bring a KNIFE to a GUNFIGHT.
Ain’t gonna happen because if you’re going to engage in a battle of the wits, you must come armed. tRump is defenseless.
I never heard the word “retaliation “ against the Cartels , what is wrong with all of you , who are swift to criticize Mr Trump and so prone to worship “La Presidenta” unbelievable !!
Because Trump is nothing more than a two bit con man who lies about everything and only cares for himself and how much money he can make. He’s not to be trusted with anything.
Of course she didn’t say she would close the border. Trump is an idiot and a liar back in the states his goons are already pointing out this fabrication as a sign of his mastery. He can say anything he wants and will be swallowed as truth. this is how fascism works. CNN is only mainstream news source who is even running Sheinbaum’s response.
Where is the article?
Only MAGAts listen attentively and believe the chopped- up sentences and thoughts that with difficulty dribble from his mouth. Trump is America’s received cusrse for killing the American Natives, slavery of blacks and stealing about 1/2 of Mexico. Mexicans are not invading the border; they are coming home.
The compliment to Mexico’s efforts to stem the flow of illegal migrants into the US must at least be an all-out effort by the US to stem the virtually unlimited illegal flow of guns & ammunition into Mexico. Gun sales, legal or otherwise, continue to make the US a ‘world leader’ in the increasingly deadly industry of gun & ammunition manufacturing for non-military purposes. Canada is also experiencing similar effects of the illicit flow of high-powered guns & ammunition from the US, into the hands of violent criminals & gangs. It’s time for America to fully support serious gun export surveillance & controls at the north & south border crossings, even if it continues to lack the national will to legislate common sense gun control laws of its own.
Unfortunately, the U.S. will never give up its love of guns, even though homicide is the third largest killer of children. I live in Mexico and have never heard of school children being slaughtered in school or people being massacred in churches or shopping centers. The U.S. loves blasting the air waves with their “thoughts and prayers”, just don’t expect action. It’s no surprise that they would love for other countries to be as fuc#ed up as they are.
I would without a doubt trust what Pres. Sheinbaum says over ‘Don the Con’ (the compulsive liar…..among many other undesirable human traits ) any day…
Agree 100%.
Trump’s administration and Claudia’s are gonna be just fine. Soon he will learn we are not the same country anymore run by thief’s and corruption. We are going for change now for a better Mexico.
Both countries will help each other out for the best of their people. At the end of the day we are Vecinos 😁👍
Mexican citizens, “don’t be so stupid “to believe that Sheinbaum can stop immigration, She can’t unless she builds a “HIGH WALL” all along Mexico’s “south border. Sheinbaum can us the Mexican Military, but that’s not enough, People will be coming into Mexico because they are disport. The good old day of being good neighbors, is over all because Mexico has not done anything to stop the migration of 1 million people “marching through Mexico. Obrador didn’t do NOTHING TO STOP THEM. For all the new problems that are occurring, blame Obrador for being the “guilty” party.
Trump IS A TYPE OF PERSON WHO DOESN’T BACK OFF ON HIS PROMISES THAT HE HAS MADE,
Now because of Obrador bad decisions, Mexico will be facing a 25% tariff tax. La “Presidenta Sheinbaum” is in deep trouble, because she keeps “changing” her story every day. Can’t believe what she says every morning at her news conference She has lost her “credibility”.
Hi There Optima. Im Mexican and i dont think im stupid. I dont know what race you are but i dont want to offend your kind just for your own ignorance.
The immigration was not our problem, we got all these because of the Biden/Harris administration. They are the ones that said come on in we will take you. Kamala herself come to mexico city and said “we are not taking any immigrants please dont come but if your are looking for asylum then you are welcome” that pretty much was an invitation to the whole world. People from all over the world used our Mexican country as a back door to try to go to your country. Then now suddenly it our fault dealing with the mess your country has caused?
You are right we can not stop it but a new administration with the existing policies y’all already had before can. No more catch and release is one of them.
We are suffering from those same consequences. we are seeing immigrants from all over. Here in Toluca Mexico are about to strengthen immigration because we the Mexicans are seeing more and more immigrants that got stock here.
We dont need Walls we need better laws into place.
MEXICANO AL 100% Y NO ESTUPIDO
MORENA!