President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke to United States President Donald Trump by telephone on Wednesday, a call both leaders described as “very productive” without going into significant detail.
“Had a very productive call with the President of Mexico yesterday,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning.
“Likewise, I met with the highest level Japanese Trade Representatives. It was a very productive meeting. Every Nation, including China, wants to meet! Today, Italy!” he said.
Sheinbaum subsequently acknowledged her call with Trump in a post to X.
“As he mentions on his account, it was very productive,” she wrote.
“We will continue dialogue to reach good agreements that benefit our country and our people,” Sheinbaum said.
El día de ayer tuvimos una llamada con el presidente Trump. Como lo menciona en su cuenta, fue muy productiva. Seguiremos dialogando para alcanzar buenos acuerdos que beneficien a nuestros países y nuestros pueblos.
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) April 17, 2025
The call came a day after Fox News broadcast an interview during which Trump asserted that the Mexican government is “very afraid” of drug cartels and that those criminal groups “run large sections” of Mexico. Sheinbaum dismissed Trump’s remarks at her Wednesday morning press conference, and revealed that her government had sent a diplomatic note to the United States over its transfer of control of a section of land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the U.S. army.
The Mexican president has consistently maintained that her government is willing to collaborate with the Trump administration on security issues but will not accept subordination or any violation of Mexico’s sovereignty.
Trade was likely another issue discussed by Sheinbaum and Trump in their call on Wednesday as Mexico is currently attempting to negotiate better trading conditions with its northern neighbor. Since Trump began his second term in January, the United States has imposed tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum, cars made in Mexico and goods that don’t comply with the rules of the USMCA free trade pact.
In March, the United States briefly imposed 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and most imports from Canada due to what the White House said was the two countries’ failure to adequately stem the flow of “lethal drugs” such as fentanyl into the U.S.
On April 3, Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that Mexico’s goal was “to achieve the best [trading] conditions among all countries of the world for the [Mexican] auto industry.”
“The same thing for steel and aluminum. We’re going to be working the next 40 days. That is what comes next, and we estimate that it will be around 40 days of negotiations,” he said.
Ebrard can now add tomatoes to the list of products for which he is attempting to achieve tariff relief, as the United States government announced on Monday that it intends to impose duties of almost 21% on imports of most tomatoes from Mexico starting in July.
5 calls in 5 months
Sheinbaum and Trump have now spoken by telephone on five occasions since the latter won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5. They have not yet met face-to-face.
Here is a summary of the two leaders’ four previous calls.
- In a Nov. 7 call, Sheinbaum said she and Trump discussed “the good relationship there will be between Mexico and the United States.”
- After a Nov. 27 call, Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s claim that she agreed in the call to “effectively” close the Mexico-U.S. border.
- In a Feb. 3 call — two weeks after Trump began his second term — the two leaders reached what Sheinbaum called “a series of agreements,” including one to postpone a 25% tariff that the U.S. was about to impose on all imports from Mexico. During the call, Sheinbaum said she committed to immediately deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to the northern border “to avoid the trafficking of drugs from Mexico to the United States, in particular fentanyl.”
- After a March 6 call, Trump said he had “agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement,” thus suspending tariffs on USMCA-compliant goods that had taken effect two days earlier. “I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social at the time.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
Eliminate the cartels or Trump will do it for you.
Eliminate the demand for illegal drugs and stop the illegal trafficking of arms into Mexico, first!
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🥱🥱🥱
Eliminate the demand for illegal guns in Mexico first. Guns are not illegal in the US they are the backbone of our constitution.
Perhaps, Trump could eliminate cartels in the 50 US states first. 80 percent of fentanyl is carried into the US by Americans delivering into cartel distribution enclaves.
Organized crime is not going to eliminated by either president. Trump wants the country of México to be intimidated and feeling insecure. Trump believes México belongs to USA.
Wow how do you read peoples minds so well. Your amazing. When you say “Americans delivering” do you mean Canadian American, Mexican American or perhaps south American’s. Have a blessed day.
I would love to see actual facts, or sources listed, that prove that 80% of fentanal is brought into the US by US citizens. Especially with citizens who have no ties to MX or the cartels. I am not a Trump supporter, but I would argue that the US is doing quite a lot to go after the dealers and cartel/gang areas in the US. Disregarding the courts, the Constitution, and the rights of legal US citizens. Organized crime may not be eliminated, but it can be left for dead. Look how little influence the Mafia has had in America since the 90s. While Trump won’t (🤞) drop bombs on American cities, I have little doubt that he couldn’t care less about drone strikes on Mexican territories. He can combat them differently where the US Constitution doesn’t get in his way. Just look at the civil rights he’s violating as is in the US. If the cartel leaders and their associates start getting hit by silent attacks from unseen drones and/or smart bombs launched from hundreds of miles away that they cannot fight back or retaliat against – it will thin them out fairly well. Once one leader is taken out, they kill each other fighting to replace him. This type of weaponry has allowed the Ukrane to defend against a much larger and better armed Russia. Not that there would be a “war”, but today’s weaponry can make life really difficult on an enemy. And in Mexico, who cannot fight back, there is quite a lot that could be done to go after the cartels. Not right. Not ethical. Not defending it. Just reality.
The iron rule of Supply and Demand has always demonstrated that wherever there is a Demand, there will always be a Supply.
It’s simply unrealistic to expect destroying a Supply will then eliminate a Demand. Destroy Supply #1 and a new Supply 2 will emerge to meet the Demand.
Yep. Intentions don’t equal results but there’s a whole lot of people that can’t grasp that after decades of failed drug wars.
Unfortunately, when it comes to any so-called “productive” phone calls with DJT by any leader(s) on any given day, it typically means virtually nothing for the following days. His policy & strategy initiatives increasingly appear to be defined in 24 hr. increments.
While I appreciate the diplomatic tone of this article, I can’t help but feel it omits an uncomfortable but essential truth: the veneer of political legitimacy surrounding President Sheinbaum is built atop a disturbing foundation — one marked by unprecedented violence and a media narrative that refuses to ask the hard questions.
Let’s start with the facts. Over 60 political candidates were murdered during the election process that brought her to power — a human cost rarely acknowledged in the same breath as her “popular mandate.” That level of political violence is not incidental; it casts a long shadow over the electoral outcome and raises legitimate concerns about who ultimately benefits from such chaos.
What followed was swift: a media-driven sanctification of Sheinbaum as a sovereign-minded, progressive leader — a sharp contrast to the growing power and impunity of the cartels, whose reach appears to have expanded under her administration. This new presidency leans heavily on sovereignty rhetoric, but one must ask: sovereignty for whom? Because it certainly seems like that shield is being used less to protect Mexico’s citizens and more to deflect scrutiny — particularly when it comes to foreign calls for accountability, extraditions, and security cooperation.
When President Trump accuses cartels of running large sections of Mexico, the response from Sheinbaum isn’t transparency or hard evidence to the contrary. It’s dismissal. When mass graves or cartel strongholds are discovered, officials often downplay them or question the credibility of those reporting the facts. This pattern — of denial, deflection, and diplomatic pleasantry — undermines trust.
I’m not questioning Mexico’s right to defend its sovereignty. I’m questioning whether sovereignty is being invoked as a cover for institutional paralysis, or worse, complicity. And as someone observing these developments from outside the media bubble, I find it deeply troubling that a government birthed in such violence and surrounded by silence is now celebrated as a diplomatic success — even as tariffs are imposed, cartels thrive, and public safety deteriorates.
There’s a difference between being elected and being legitimate. It’s time the international community — and the media — start making that distinction.
Great read excellent points delivered without drama. We need the North America alliance strong, so all three countries grow and prosper. Mexico must deal with their cartel problem with military and law enforcement.