As much as any other world leader, Claudia Sheinbaum has gained the reputation of a Trump whisperer.
Over and over, the Mexican president has entered tense negotiations with President Trump and — to the surprise of many — exited with praise.
“I like her very much,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office in February. “I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum,” he said after pausing tariffs against Mexico in March.
But the honeymoon seems to be ending.
Over the past several months, Mr. Trump has amped up his intense pressure campaign on Mexico with a multipronged offensive that has squeezed Ms. Sheinbaum, put her on the defensive and left her with few good options to react.
At each step, Ms. Sheinbaum has grit her teeth and stressed that there was a red line Mr. Trump must not cross: infringing on Mexico’s sovereignty, particularly with unilateral military action.
Ms. Sheinbaum is exasperated, according to four people close to the government who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conservations. She and her cabinet feel frustrated that they have spent tremendous time and attention to meet what they see as Washington’s tall demands, according to the people, and yet it never seems to be enough.
Posted by John3262005
1 Comment
While negotiating with fascists always ends badly, there is a truth that is very uncomfortable which is that the US is powerful enough to bully most of the world, inflict pain on billions and come out on top
The whole thing about Americans being the bad guys of geopolitics that the left complained for decades has never been more true and we are seeing it on a massive scale
Trump can punish Mexico in ways they could hardly recover from in many many years, and Sheinbaun can either compromise with an aggressor power and maybe only he hurt, or be economically slammed and have an ailing economy for years
Personally I think that they should rip the bandaid as soon as possible but I understand the position of compromise