President-elect Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum discussed Mexico’s approach to staving off illegal migration from the United States’ southern neighbor but came away from the conversation with different characterizations of the plan.
The call between the two leaders on Wednesday came after Mr. Trump’s announcement that he would slap a 25% tariff on Mexico, Canada and China on all products coming from the countries until the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the U.S. is halted.
Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that their conversation was “very productive” and that Ms. Sheinbaum “has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
But Ms. Sheinbaum’s description of the conversation differed.
In one post, she said she had an “excellent conversation with President Donald Trump.”
“We addressed Mexico’s strategy regarding the migration phenomenon, and I shared that caravans are no longer reaching the northern border as they are being addressed within Mexico,” Ms. Sheinbaum said on X.
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Hours later, she again posted about the conversation, this time showing that there may be more daylight between their positions on the southern border.
“In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights,” Ms. Sheinbaum said on X. “Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they reach the border. We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
After Mr. Trump’s tariff announcement, Ms. Sheinbaum responded that Mexico would install retaliatory tariffs against products from the U.S., and warned that the move could kill 400,000 jobs in the country and raise prices for American consumers.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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