So much has occurred since my last blog that it is difficult for me to choose a starting point. President Trump, in an attempt to undo prior political policy, reminds me of a whale, harpooned, flailing madly in all directions, with the sole intent of wreaking havoc and destruction to anything in sight. For the sake of brevity, let me focus in on Trump’s recent call for tariffs that he aims to impose on our allies in Mexico and Canada on April 2nd. His initial rationale for the imposition of these tariffs was to stem both illegal immigration and the transport of fentanyl, a drug that has caused many American deaths, from entering the United States.
I, especially, applaud, Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum for her reaction to Mr. Trump. Rather than taking a neutral or passive stance, she ordered 10,000 Mexican troops to the border and she explained to Mr. Trump, in specific detail, what she had done to secure the border and to fight fentanyl trafficking. Moreover, rather than use a translator, she thought it best to have the conversation with the American president in English. Mr. Trump, obviously flattered in the manner by which he was addressed, decided to delay the tariffs he had threatened to inflict on both Canada and Mexico. As a result of her taking the reins in communicating with Mr. Trump, Ms. Sheinbaum’s approval rating in Mexico reached an all time high going over 75%.
Although I liked the fact that Ms. Sheinbaum had been a scientist and academic before becoming president, I had serious concerns about her leadership when she assumed office on October 1, 2024. It appeared Ms. Sheinbaum had gained the presidency, in part, by following in the footsteps of her mentor, López Obrador, who she succeeded. Anabel Hernández, a journalist during the time Obrador was president, wrote an exposé about his connections with the Cártel de Sinaloa in a book entitled: La Historia Secreta. The book details how this cartel covertly funded the purchase of a home for Obrador in Mexico City. During his time in office, the cartels continued their nasty business of laundering the money received from fentanyl with the annual rate of homicides, if anything, increasing.
Furthermore, as a means of increasing his presidential powers, Obrador had made an effort to replace the impartial judges serving Mexico’s judiciary system with lawmakers more favorable to his governing party. Once Ms. Sheinbaum became president, she accomplished Obrador’s goal when she fired all the presiding judges, who had served independently of party politics. In their place, she required new applicants to successfully pass an exam with the ostensible hope that these new judges would back her leadership. This early move by Ms. Sheinbaum did not give me much comfort as to what was to come.
However, recently, I was pleasantly surprised by the new Mexican president’s desire to work out a “deal” with Mr. Trump with the goal of avoiding tariffs that would be most detrimental to the Mexican economy. I admired her courage in making a strong effort to overwhelm the corruption inherent in the cartels. When Mr. Obrador was president, several journalists, who reported how the cartels were usurping power, lost their lives. Ms. Hernández, herself, narrowly escaped death when her house was dynamited. She managed to flee to America; she clearly represented an individual seeking political asylum. I hope that Ms. Sheinbaum does not suffer any repercussions from her actions in leading the fight to thwart the cartels. In making the future of the Mexican economy more important than any potential cartel bribes or threats to her government, President Sheinbaum has shown she genuinely cares about her people.
After cooperating with Mr. Trump, I’m quite sure Ms. Sheinbaum’s hope was that he would not place a tariff on goods produced in Mexico. Unfortunately, that hope was dismissed when Mr. Trump stated that he would be placing a 25% on automobiles made everywhere outside of the United States along with tariffs on other goods produced in Mexico. President Trump’s actions against President Sheinbaum and the Mexican people are analogous to a parent spanking a child after he/she made his/her room. This type of parental behavior very likely would cause an unhealthy confusion with possible ill effects on that child’s subsequent development.
Mr. Trump’s behavior is unpredictable and so, I’m quite sure that the Mexican citizenry along with the CEO’s of the major car companies in the United States, have their fingers crossed he will once more reverse himself vis-á-vis tariffs. But more importantly, many of us from the outside hope some of Mr. Trump’s loyal followers in Congress will extract the harpoon from his belly, and redirect his impulsive energies to building, rather tearing down all that lies in front of him.
Dr. Bernard F. Natelson 