The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday for his victory in Tuesday’s presidential elections that will take him back to the White House.
Sheimbaum said “we will continue working together” with dialogue and respect for our sovereignties, in a message on his X account.
“I am sure that we will continue working together in a coordinated manner, with dialogue and respect for our sovereignties, to advance the broad bilateral agenda that links us,” he added.
The United States is Mexico’s main trading partner and about 12 million Mexicans live there, 30% without documents, according to private estimates.
During his election campaign, Trump threatened with tariffs on various products manufactured in Mexico, such as automobiles, and mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
In the past, furthermore, the Republican has said that he could send troops to Mexico to fight the powerful organized crime groups, which have flooded the United States with the deadly drug fentanyl.
Early Wednesday morning, the triumph of Trump, who governed between 2017 and 2021, affected the Mexican financial markets. The local currency, the peso MXN= , depreciated to levels not seen for more than two years. However, during the day it reversed the losses to close the session at 20.08 per dollar.
Markets fear that Trump’s protectionist stances will become a tough challenge by 2026, when a review of the North American trade agreement, USMCA, is planned, which is estimated to represent more than half of Mexican GDP.
Sheinbaum, a 62-year-old climate scientist, argued in her conference that economic integration between the United States and Mexico is a strength. “We do not compete with each other but the other way around, we complement each other,” he said.
Shortly after, he added that his government will hold talks high-level talks with US officials on issues important to both nations, such as migration and drug and arms trafficking.
Analysts estimate that the Sheinbaum government will have to maneuver carefully now that Trump has assured his return to the White House, but there is still room to negotiate and soften the impact on trade, migration and security.
