Sheinbaum to Trump: ‘Respect Mexico’s sovereignty’ – Rejects tariffs, proposes cooperation

Canada: China, citing a “major threat” from illegal immigration and drug trafficking, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has strongly rejected the White House’s accusations. She denounced the Trump administration’s claims that Mexico has alliances with criminal organizations, calling them "slander" and demanding mutual respect in bilateral relations.

Mexico rejects White House's allegations

In a strong response on X (formerly Twitter), Sheinbaum dismissed Trump’s accusations, pointing out that the US itself has fueled organized crime by allowing the sale of high-powered weapons to drug cartels. "If such an alliance exists anywhere, it is in the United States armories that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups," Sheinbaum said, referencing a US Department of Justice report from January that confirmed these transactions. She made it clear that Mexico will not accept any intervention from the US and emphasized that the Mexican government has no alliances with criminal organizations.

Mexico slams US over fentanyl crisis

Sheinbaum further attacked the US government’s failure to address its own fentanyl crisis, highlighting that Mexico has seized over 40 tons of drugs, including 20 million doses of fentanyl, and arrested over 10,000 individuals linked to drug cartels in just four months. "If the US government truly wanted to tackle fentanyl abuse, they could combat narcotics sales on their own streets and crack down on money laundering tied to drug cartels, which they have failed to do," she asserted.

She criticized the FDA’s role in fueling the opioid crisis, blaming the indiscriminate prescription of synthetic opioids and referencing US lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies as proof of the epidemic’s roots in American policies.

Sheinbaum calls for cooperation, not confrontation

While rejecting the Trump administration’s tariff threats, Sheinbaum emphasized Mexico’s willingness to work together with the US. However, she made it clear that cooperation must be based on mutual respect and shared responsibility, not dictated by tariff pressures or political posturing. "Mexico does not want fentanyl to reach the US or any other country. But if the US truly wants to fight drug trafficking and violence, we must work together under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, and most importantly, respect for sovereignty—which is non-negotiable," she stated.

Proposal for diplomatic talks over tariffs

Sheinbaum proposed a high-level working group involving top security and public health officials from both nations to address these concerns collaboratively. "Problems are not solved by imposing tariffs but by engaging in dialogue, just as we did with the US State Department to address migration issues," she noted. She also revealed that the migration data Trump has been sharing on social media was created by her team as part of ongoing diplomatic discussions. In response to the tariffs, Sheinbaum instructed Mexico’s Secretary of Economy to implement Plan B, a series of countermeasures including tariff and non-tariff policies to safeguard Mexico’s economic interests. She concluded with a firm statement: "Nothing by force; everything by reason and right."