Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has agreed to “continue working” on trade issues with Washington and Ottawa in her first face-to-face meeting with her US counterpart, Donald Trump, following the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony held in Washington.
Sheinbaum, who described the tripartite meeting with the president and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as “excellent” on social media, explained that they discussed the “good relationship” between the three countries.
The meeting, held behind closed doors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, comes after Trump suggested he might let the trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States (USMCA) expire and at a time when Mexico is still negotiating the 30 percent tariffs the Republican imposed on Mexican goods.
The Mexican president had planned to meet with her US counterpart during the G7 summit held in Canada in June, but the meeting did not take place due to Trump’s sudden departure amid tensions between Israel and Iran.
The United States has attacked numerous drug-laden boats in the Caribbean region to combat drug trafficking and recently designated the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization for its alleged ties to Venezuelan authorities.
Sheinbaum had already rejected a potential military intervention by Washington on Mexican soil in November after the president stated on the social media platform Truth Social that he would be “proud” to order similar attacks against drug traffickers in Mexico.
Relations between the two countries have also been strained in recent months by the immigration raids launched by the Trump administration, which have generated strong protests in the United States. Sheinbaum, who has called these policies “unfair,” has pointed out that it is thanks to migrant labor that crops are maintained in many states, including California.
