Before traveling to Chiapas to officially open a new highway between Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas, President Claudia Sheinbaum held her final morning press conference of the week at the National Palace in the historic center of Mexico City.
Sheinbaum once again highlighted the government’s efforts to reduce violence in Sinaloa, and also responded to Donald Trump’s latest remarks about his telephone conversation with the Mexican president last week.
Presence of security minister in Sinaloa is the ‘best support’ feds can give to struggling businesses
A reporter asked the president whether the government would provide support to businesses in Sinaloa that have sustained heavy financial losses due to ongoing violence in the northern state.
“The best support we can provide is that which we’re providing now,” Sheinbaum responded.
She explained she was referring to the presence of Security Minister Omar García Harfuch in Sinaloa.
“He’s in Sinaloa to strengthen the security strategy. That is the best support we can provide,” Sheinbaum said.
En seguimiento a la investigación del aseguramiento de más de una tonelada de pastillas de fentanilo y con acciones operativas para disminuir índices delictivos en Sinaloa, personal del Gabinete de Seguridad detuvo a Adrián “N” “El Gallero” integrante de un grupo delictivo que… https://t.co/UjbndCN6HQ pic.twitter.com/btkklkGeda
— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) December 5, 2024
“He’s coordinating the [security] tasks of all the federal and state forces … and it will yield results. … In fact it is already producing results in terms of arrests,” she said.
On García’s first day in Sinaloa earlier this week, authorities seized more than 1 tonne of fentanyl in the municipality of Ahome. The security minister has reported arrests related to that bust in publications on the social media platform X.
The violence in Sinaloa is mainly related to a war between the Los Mayos and Los Chapitos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Sheinbaum acknowledged on Friday that a lot of people will travel to Mazatlán and other parts of the state over the end-of-year vacation period.
“We’re going to work to guarantee security,” she said.
The president conceded earlier this week that violence in Sinaloa won’t “drastically decrease” in a short period of time.
Sheinbaum responds to Financial Times’ recognition
Another reporter noted that Mexico awoke to the news that Sheinbaum was included on the Financial Times’ “25 most influential women of 2024” list.
Among the other women on the list are Taylor Swift, Kamala Harris, Ursula von der Leyen and Arundhati Roy.
Sheinbaum said she wouldn’t let the Financial Times article go to her head or consider it a personal endorsement.
“What there is is a recognition of what’s happening in Mexico,” she said.
“I said, ‘let the transformation continue’ and ‘it’s time for women.’ That is noticed and felt in our country and that is the recognition … [of the Financial Times],” Sheinbaum said.
“… So I think, in effect, that it is a recognition of the people of Mexico,” she said.
In a short profile of Sheinbaum in the “leaders” section of its “25 most influential women” list, the Financial Times noted that not only is Sheinbaum the country’s first female president, “but also the first former climate scientist to hold the post.”
FT also said that the president is “renowned for her steely character” and described her as “a life-long feminist” who is “determined to present a strong front against bullying tactics.”
“Stand by for fireworks, and a big test of whether a woman cannot just lead Mexico, but do so in the face of Trump’s own version of MAGA machismo,” the Times said.
Sheinbaum disputes Trump’s latest account of their telephone call
Speaking at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards ceremony on Thursday night, United States President-elect Donald Trump offered a new account of his telephone call with Sheinbaum on Nov. 27.
“I spoke the other day to the president, the new president of Mexico, very nice woman. And we had a very nice conversation,” he said.
“But she said, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ continued Trump, referring to his pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports on the first day of his second term as president.
“I said, ‘I’m not. I’m just putting a lot of tariffs on because you’re allowing criminals to pour into our country, and we can’t allow that anymore,’” said the former and future U.S. president.
Asked whether she did in fact make the “why are you doing this to me?” remark, Sheinbaum simply responded that Trump has his own unique “way of communicating.”
“It was like when we had the call and he did a [social media] post where he says we’re going to close the border and that was never spoken about,” she said.
Sheinbaum responded to that claim last week by saying that “Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
She also said: “Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you … that we never suggested that we were going to close the border, we would be incapable [of doing so].”
On Friday morning, the president said she wouldn’t be lured into a public “debate” over what was and wasn’t said during her call with Trump, but assured reporters that she and other officials in her government will always “represent Mexico in a dignified way.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
Source: Mexico News Daily
