The resurgence of the political right in Latin America and Mexico’s recently approved tariffs were among the issues spoken about at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Dec. 15 mañanera.
Sheinbaum: Shift to the right won’t happen in Mexico
Citing the victory of José Antonio Kast in Chile’s presidential election on Sunday as well as the results of recent elections in Argentina and Bolivia, a reporter asked the president about the shift to the right of “some voters in Latin America.”
Sheinbaum responded that the situation in “each country” would need to be analyzed to determine why voters in some Latin American nations have recently supported right-wing candidates and parties in large numbers.
“Obviously, we want there to be more governments [that are] close to the people, but decisions must always be made democratically,” she added.
“In the case of Chile, it was a democratic vote. The people of Chile decided who they want to govern them,” said Sheinbaum, who congratulated Kast in a social media post.
Felicitamos al pueblo chileno por una jornada electoral pacífica y democrática. También a José Antonio Kast, próximo presidente de Chile.
Confío en que ambos gobiernos seguiremos trabajando por el bien de nuestros países y de la región.
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) December 15, 2025
She also said she believes that “it’s a time of reflection for progressive movements in Latin America,” a time to examine why “these circumstances” occur.
Sheinbaum subsequently said that she doesn’t believe there will be a shift to the right among Mexican voters, who supported both the current president and her predecessor in large numbers at the 2018 and 2024 presidential elections.
The reasons she cited for her belief were that “there is a lot of popular support for the government,” and the movement she leads is getting “results.”
Seeking to explain the high levels of support for her administration, Sheinbaum said that it is fulfilling its promises.
With regard to “results,” she cited the reduction in poverty and inequality that has been achieved in Mexico since former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador — the founder of the “fourth transformation” (4T) political movement — took office in late 2018.
“The majority of the Mexicans agree with the transformation that our country is going through,” said Sheinbaum, who now leads the 4T.
“And, in addition, there is unity here. Sometimes, when there isn’t unity in [political] movements, this reduction in support occurs. But not here. What we always seek here is unity in our movement and results,” she said.
“… And we’ll never abandon what we committed to or the vision that the government is there to serve the people. That’s why the government has a lot of popular support,” Sheinbaum said.
Ebrard talks new tariff package
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard attended the mañanera to speak about the tariffs bill that was approved by Congress last week.
On Jan. 1, 2026, tariffs will be increased, or imposed for the first time, on more than 1,400 products from countries with which Mexico doesn’t have trade agreements, including China, South Korea and India. Products across more than a dozen sectors will be affected by the changes, including textiles, auto parts and cars.
Ebrard said that the “objective” of the “tariff package” is, “in short,” to protect 350,000 jobs in Mexico. That number of jobs across sectors including textiles, clothing, footwear, steel and automotive are at risk of being lost within a year due to the influx of cheap exports, he said.
“We have the demand, the point of view, the insistence of the textile and clothing industry, the footwear industry, the steel industry, and now I’ll also mention the automotive industry [to increase tariffs] … not because they can’t compete, but because products are being brought in at prices below international reference levels,” Ebrard said.
“In other words, there isn’t a level playing field, because if there were, applying a tariff wouldn’t be justified. But when the playing field is uneven, you have to correct it, remedy that disadvantage or injustice,” he said.
Among other remarks, the economy minister said that:
- Mexico is the world’s fifth-largest vehicle manufacturer and wants to maintain that position.
- Mexico’s objective is to increase by 15% the “national content” in goods made in Mexico.
- Mexico is not specifically targeting any one country with the tariffs, but rather imposing them on goods from all countries with which it doesn’t have trade agreements.
- The tariffs will only add 0.2 percentage points to Mexico’s inflation rate.
Sheinbaum said last week that the tariffs weren’t specifically aimed at China, even though it seems they are. The East Asian economic powerhouse is easily the largest supplier to Mexico among the countries targeted and has a large trade surplus with Mexico. After the Mexican Congress’s approval of the tariffs, the Chinese government urged Mexico to “correct its wrong practices of unilateralism and protectionism” as soon as possible.
While the Mexican government says that the main purpose of the tariffs is to protect Mexican industry and jobs, the decision to impose them is widely seen as an effort to appease the United States ahead of next year’s UMSCA review.
Sheinbaum speaks to the pope
Sheinbaum acknowledged that she spoke to Pope Leo XIV last Friday as the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe was being celebrated in Mexico.
She said that the call was arranged through the Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, Joseph Spiteri.
“He very kindly accepted the call, which we appreciate,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that Pope Leo — the first U.S.-born pope — is very interested in coming to Mexico, although she noted that no date has been set.
Sheinbaum said he is also interested in strengthening programs on which the Catholic Church collaborates with the federal government, such as the Sí al Desarme, Sí a la Paz (Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace) scheme.
“I spoke to him about this program and how important it is for the country,” she said.
“And he was very warm,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the pope sent his regards to the people of Mexico.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
