In Face of Trump's Tariffs, Mexico Embraces Its President and Nationalism

New York Times

04-03-2025

Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, stood underneath a giant Mexican flag and before troops at a military installation in Mexico City. It was Flag Day last month and she used her speech as an opportunity to, figuratively and literally, rally around it.
'Mexico must be respected,' she said, adding later: 'Its people are brave. We know that when our people unite around their history, their country and their flag, there is no force in the world that can break their spirit.'
Times had changed, she said: Mexico would not bow down to foreign governments.
Given the circumstances — President Trump's steep tariffs against Mexico went into effect in the first minutes of Tuesday — Ms. Sheinbaum's optics were fitting. As Mr. Trump once again targeted Mexico, using the hammer of tariffs as a negotiating tool, a sense of Mexican nationalism has been strengthened.
The Mexican government and businesses have rekindled a 'Made in Mexico' campaign. Some Mexicans have called for boycotts of U.S. companies and products, while others have put together lists of Mexican stores and brands to support instead of American ones.
Ms. Sheinbaum is frequently featured on the front page of local newspapers with members of the country's military or in front of a giant Mexican flag. Private companies have taken out nationalistic advertisements, one featuring the president leading the masses and carrying a banner saying, 'Mexico united, never defeated!'
And Ms. Sheinbaum, who has been trying to balance a pro-Mexico drumbeat while advocating cooperative dialogue with American officials, has seen her approval ratings rise as high as 80 percent, according to one poll. She has not only succeeded a popular president, Andres Manuel López Obrador, who reshaped Mexican politics and was her mentor, but has come into her own at a time of global upheaval under Mr. Trump.
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