Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, at the National Palace in Mexico City, on January 5, 2026. ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not alter her tone or her message when, on Friday, January 9, she responded to statements from her United States counterpart, Donald Trump, who had suggested conducting a ground operation against Mexican cartels on Fox News the day before. "We are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. (...) The cartels are running Mexico," he said.
"There will be nothing of the sort in Mexico; that's President Trump's way of speaking. We have a relationship based on cooperation and collaboration, not subordination. We have always said no to these of operations," the president said at her daily press conference.
Sheinbaum said she was keeping a "cool head," refused to respond to provocations and referred to the security agreement Mexico signed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in September 2025: "It guides our actions on both sides of the border; each country has its own tasks to accomplish on its own territory." In early January, her security cabinet presented its latest figures: It reported a 40% drop in homicides from October 2024 to today, as well as record drug and weapon seizures and mass arrests of suspects.
