"Trump whisperer" Sheinbaum The President of Mexico makes Trump buckle with a single graphic
Donald Trump threatens Mexico with tough punitive tariffs. But President Claudia Sheinbaum has managed to prevent this twice. Who is the politician standing up to Trump?
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- Donald Trump has suspended most of the threatened punitive tariffs against Mexico until April 2.
- The reason: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
- Through clever communication with Trump, she has managed to postpone the tariffs twice.
- Despite the temporary success, the situation remains tense, as Trump could impose tariffs again after April 2.
Donald Trump has been threatening Mexico with tough punitive tariffs for weeks. The US President has now suspended a significant portion of them - at least for the time being.
In Mexico, the postponement is nevertheless a reason to celebrate: tens of thousands of people crowded into Mexico City's main square on Sunday to celebrate with President Claudia Sheinbaum. "Mexico! Mexico!", they chanted, "Presidenta! Presidenta!"
"Fortunately, dialog and respect have prevailed," Sheinbaum told the crowd. The US president had rowed back on Thursday in the tariff dispute with Mexico and Canada and partially suspended the punitive tariffs against both countries. For the second time.
Mexico remains "optimistic"
The tariffs of around 25 percent on imports from both neighboring countries were suspended until April 2. Sheinbaum is also "optimistic" about the new deadline. However, Mexico will never "give up its sovereignty" and will not bow to the decisions of foreign governments.
The Mexican president had actually wanted to announce retaliatory measures on Sunday - instead, the event turned into a mass celebration.
But who is the woman who managed to postpone Trump's punitive tariffs twice?
The "icy lady"
Sheinbaum is 62 years old and studied physics with a doctorate in energy technology. However, she became involved in politics at an early age.
Sheinbaum was active in student movements in Mexico, later becoming environmental commissioner and then mayor of Mexico City. She finally won the presidential election in June 2024. The first woman in the country's history to do so.
Sheinbaum is considered a workhorse. Level-headed, controlled and often a little chilly. A rival once called her the "icy lady" during the election campaign.
"You have to speak Trump's language"
But it is precisely these qualities that seem to go down well with Donald Trump. During a 45-minute meeting at the beginning of February, Sheinbaum was already able to achieve an initial suspension of the tariffs.
"You have to speak Trump's language," a person familiar with the call told theWall Street Journal. Sheinbaum's phone call with Trump was often tense, the anonymous person told the Wall Street Journal. The Mexican countered Trump on trade, drugs and migration in a way that "got Trump's attention without escalating the situation".
Other heads of state reacted sensitively to the US president. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro engages in online exchanges with him. Canada's outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau describes the US punitive tariffs as "something extremely stupid".
Claudia Sheinbaum waits and praises the "historically good relationship" between Mexico and the USA. And it works. After Trump wanted to finally impose punitive tariffs on goods entering the US from Mexico at the beginning of last week, he agreed to another phone call with her on Thursday.
She showed him a map, then he relented
Sheinbaum was well prepared and presented her American counterpart with a chart based on US government data showing how much the smuggling of fentanyl has decreased in recent months. In other words, the drug that Trump often cites as the main reason for imposing punitive tariffs.
"He didn't know about this graph until we sent it to him," Sheinbaum later told the media. And Trump? He was obviously impressed. He had a "very good" phone call with the Mexican head of state, the US President explained. "Out of respect for President Sheinbaum", he would now suspend the punitive tariffs for the time being, he later explained. "A wonderful woman", Trump continued.
"Is this the most powerful woman in the world?" asked the Bloomberg news agency a few days ago, for example. In the American press, the Mexican president is already being called the "Trump whisperer".
She is becoming increasingly popular
While many governments around the world are struggling for support due to the difficult political situation, Sheinbaum is becoming increasingly popular. Current polls show that 85% of the population support her. And this figure continues to rise.
Mexico has done a lot to satisfy the USA. Nevertheless, not all dangers for Mexico have been averted. For example, the Mexican government has sent thousands of soldiers to the US border to stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling. In addition, Mexico recently handed over several important drug lords to the USA.
But the question is whether this will be enough for Donald Trump. So far, the punitive tariffs have not been lifted, but only postponed until 2 April, when Trump wants to announce new tariffs.
