Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum angrily responded to allegations issued by the White House, accusing the Mexican government of collaborating with drug cartels. Sheinbaum accused the White House of "slander" and suggested that "if there is any such alliance, it exists in the gun shops of the United States that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups."
On Saturday, the White House published a "Fact Sheet" explaining President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, which are set to go into effect on February 4. The document claimed the economic sanctions are meant to address "the extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs" coming from the sanctioned countries, detailing each country's "participation" in the "border crisis."
"In addition, the Mexican drug trafficking organizations have an intolerable alliance with the government of Mexico," the White House said, adding that the government of Mexico has afforded safe havens for cartels to engage in drug trafficking activities, "which collectively have led to the overdose deaths of hundreds of thousands of American victims."
President Sheinbaum responded swiftly via her official X account, rebuking the allegations and emphasizing the United States' role in fueling Mexican drug cartels.
"We categorically reject the slanderous accusation made by the White House against the government of Mexico, alleging alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any interventionist intent in our territory.
If such an alliance exists anywhere, it is in the gun stores of the United States that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups, as demonstrated by the U.S. Department of Justice itself in January of this year."
- Claudia Sheinbaum
Sheinbaum highlighted the more than 40 tons of drugs seized by the Mexican government in recent months, including 20 million doses of fentanyl, claiming that the answer to continuing drug combat operations lies in "coordination" and not "subordination."
"Tariffs are not the way to solve problems; rather, they should be addressed through dialogue, as we have done in recent weeks with the U.S. State Department to address migration—on our end, with full respect for human rights," she said.
Sheinbaum added that the country is moving forward in implementing Plan B, which includes both tariff and non-tariff measures to protect Mexico.
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