Applause greeted President Claudia Sheinbaum when she walked onto the stage of the Treasury Hall in the National Palace for her Monday morning press conference.
“You saw the tweet already, right?” the president remarked to reporters, referring to her post on X in which she detailed the agreement she hashed out with United States President Donald Trump that resulted in a one-month postponement of the 25% blanket tariff the U.S. government planned to impose on Mexican exports starting Tuesday.
“Ya vieron el tweet…”
Y en el salón Tesorería de Palacio Nacional con aplausos para la PresidentA @Claudiashein comenzó así la mañanera.
Con integridad, dignidad, inteligencia y firmeza.
Con la razón y el derecho se puede vencer.
Yo me sumo a ese aplauso.
Y tú? pic.twitter.com/nKLvL8mb8H
— epigmenio ibarra (@epigmenioibarra) February 3, 2025
President Sheinbaum began her Monday morning press conference by asking the audience, “You saw the tweet already, right?”
Sheinbaum spoke with Trump on Monday morning, and as part of a deal to avert the tariffs — at least for now — agreed to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to Mexico’s northern border.
She held her press conference later than normal due to her dialogue with Trump, appearing in front of the press corps after 9 a.m.
Sheinbaum says she requested a permanent ‘pause’ on tariffs, but settled for one month
With various cabinet ministers seated behind her, Sheinbaum detailed her call with Trump, saying they spoke about “issues of common interest.”
“I told him that we have been working together on migration, that there were results,” she said.
“… And then we spoke about his interest and our interest in reducing the trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
“He made various proposals and finally we reached the agreement … to put more National Guard troops on the northern border to protect the border and avoid the trafficking of drugs and in particular the trafficking of fentanyl from Mexico to the United States,” she said.
Sheinbaum also said she expressed Mexico’s concerns about the large number of firearms that enter Mexico illegally from the United States. She said she asked for the United States’ help to stem the flow of the weapons and Trump agreed to her request.
“And finally he insisted on [raising] the issue of the trade deficit the United States has with Mexico, according to his perspective,” Sheinbaum said.
“I told him that it isn’t really a deficit, that we have a trade agreement and that this is the result of being trade partners. And [I told him] that in any case [the USMCA] is the best way to continue competing against China and other [countries], other regions of the world,” she said.
Sheinbaum said she also spoke about the trade deficit “per capita, which changes the scenario a little bit” given that the United States has a much larger population than Mexico.
She said Trump asked her how long she wanted him to put his proposed tariff “on pause.”
“I said to him, ‘Well, let’s put it on pause for good.’ But he said, ‘How long?'” Sheinbaum said.
“I said, ‘OK, let’s put it on pause for a month and I’m sure that in this month we’ll be able to achieve results, good results for your people, good results for the people of Mexico,'” she said.
“And this was the result of the agreement. So it was a good conversation within the framework of respect and this is the news we have,” Sheinbaum said.
Mexican and US officials to collaborate closely on security and trade
Sheinbaum said that Trump accepted her proposals for Mexican and U.S. officials to work closely together on the issues of security and trade.
“It’s about collaborating, as we have always said, coordinating, without losing sovereignty,” she said.
“… And he agreed in putting together this working group to come up with a plan of action within the framework of our sovereignties,” Sheinbaum said, referring to cooperation on security issues.
“And in the case of trade, I put the same proposal to him: ‘Why don’t we get the Economy Minister of Mexico and your Commerce Secretary to work together,'” she said, expressing confidence that they could resolve differences in the bilateral trade relationship.
“He agreed,” Sheinbaum added.
She noted later in the press conference that there will now be three “high-level” bilateral working groups, with the establishment of those focused on security and trade coming after the formation of one focused on migration.
“At the migration table, we speak about the defense of Mexicans in the United States,” said Sheinbaum, whose government is opposed to Trump’s mass deportation agenda but has developed a plan to assist immigrants sent to Mexico from the U.S.
Sheinbaum thanks business groups, companies, lawmakers and others for support amid tariff threat
A reporter noted that a large number of people spoke out against Trump’s proposed tariff on Mexican exports, including executives of United States companies and authorities in some U.S. states.
Hay mucha unidad en nuestro pueblo; amamos con todo a México. Aquí está su presidenta y un pueblo valiente que defiende a nuestros hermanos y hermanas que están del otro lado de la frontera. pic.twitter.com/HBakdQi6sp
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) February 3, 2025
A video sharing all of the letters of support received by Sheinbaum following Trump’s threats of tariffs on Mexican exports.
“I want to say thank you because the truth is that the number of people, companies, business chambers and communities that came out in defense of Mexico and in support of the presidenta was overwhelming,” Sheinbaum said.
“And the truth is that provides a lot of strength when one sits down to speak with the leader of another country, particularly that of the United States,” she said.
Sheinbaum noted that she received ample support in Mexico, including from the National Governor’s Conference, deputies and senators, and “practically all the business chambers,” among others.
“And in the United States, a lot of people came out to speak — politicians, governors, members of Congress — to say ‘the tariffs don’t make sense,’ and also a lot of United States companies came out to say ‘this isn’t a good idea,” she said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
