Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has spoken out against the recent spate of air strikes the United States has conducted in the Caribbean Sea and, more recently, the Pacific Ocean.
In her morning news conference on Thursday, Sheinbaum was asked about her position on the bombing campaign, which purports to attack drug-smuggling operations.
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“Obviously, we do not agree,” Sheinbaum replied. “There are international laws on how to operate when dealing with the alleged illegal transport of drugs or guns on international waters, and we have expressed this to the government of the United States and publicly.”
Sheinbaum is the latest Latin American leader to express opposition to the air strikes, which have killed at least 37 people since the campaign began on September 2.
Later that day, in a roundtable promoting his aggressive anti-drug campaign, US President Donald Trump took aim at Mexico, implying that Sheinbaum is not in control of her country.
“Mexico is run by the cartels,” Trump told reporters. “I have great respect for the president, a woman that I think is a tremendous woman. She’s a very brave woman. But Mexico is run by the cartels, and we have to defend ourselves from that.”
Economic pressure on Sheinbaum
Mexico has had to strike a delicate balance with the US since President Trump’s return to the White House in January.
Among Trump’s second-term priorities were stemming the flow of undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border and implementing protectionist trade measures, most notably tariffs, to tamp down on foreign competition.
To pursue those goals, Trump has placed pressure on the Sheinbaum administration to comply with his demands.
In late January, for instance, the Trump White House announced it would slap the US’s neighbours and biggest trading partners — Mexico and Canada — with 25 percent tariffs on their exports.
The Trump administration argued the steep tax hike was necessary to hold the countries “accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country”.
Several days later, on February 3, Trump agreed to pause the tariffs for 30 days, but only after receiving concessions from both countries.
In Mexico’s case, Sheinbaum agreed to “immediately reinforce” its border with the US with 10,000 National Guard soldiers, in an effort to crack down on drug trafficking.
In a phone call between the leaders, Trump reportedly paid Sheinbaum a compliment, “You’re tough.” Sheinbaum has since been referred to in media reports as the “Trump whisperer”.
But the 25 percent tariff nevertheless came into effect that March, and the Trump administration has continued to squeeze Mexico on trade and other issues.
In July, for instance, Trump posted a letter addressed to Sheinbaum on his social media platform Truth Social, threatening to raise tariffs against Mexico by 30 percent to force further action to stop fentanyl trafficking.
Trump acknowledged his “strong relationship” with Sheinbaum, but blamed her government for falling short.
“Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,” Trump wrote. “Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground.”
If Sheinbaum retaliated with tariffs of her own, Trump warned that he would add the same amount on top of the 30 percent tariff. Eventually, Trump backed away from his threat of increased tariffs after a call with Sheinbaum.
A month earlier, in June, the US Treasury also sanctioned three top Mexican banks and financial institutions,
