MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s new President, Claudia Sheinbaum, will start her day Wednesday much like her political mentor, ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, began most of his: with an early morning press briefing from the National Palace.
How the briefings, known in Mexico as mañaneras, will pan out remains to be seen. Under López Obrador, they were marathon affairs, featuring folksy dialogue, verbal jousting with the press and, frequently, long history lessons from the charismatic and indefatigable López Obrador. His oratorial skills turned his briefings into a powerful political weapon.
Analysts agree that Sheinbaum will try to create her own personal brand, but she will inevitably be compared to the man who set the standard.
It’s no surprise Sheinbaum decided to continue the successful formula of her mentor - she has promised to continue virtually everything he did. She will hope to set the press’ daily agenda just as López Obrador did throughout his presidency.
After her June 2 election victory, the former Mexico City mayor began holding midday press conferences that concluded within half an hour. Sheinbaum would open with announcements and then take questions from journalists.
She has not shared details of how her mañaneras will be, but the expectation is for something abbreviated and more suited to her data-focused personality.
During his presidency, which concluded Monday, the 70-year-old López Obrador held daily conferences Monday through Friday. The briefings lasted between two and three hours, then he would take questions from journalists, many of them pro-government. He also used the platform to frequently bash critical media and his adversaries.
That’s how he achieved the strategic objective of “winning the battle for control of reality,” said communication consultant Luis Antonio Espino in his book, “López Obrador: The Power of Populist Discourse.”
But Sheinbaum, a 62-year-old scientist-turned-politician, has another style.
“As a communicator she’s different,” said Roy Campos, president of the polling company Consulta-Mitofsky. He said Sheinbaum has a “spare” speaking style. She transmits an image of “a university professor who tries to demonstrate seriousness and truth through science,” he added.
That’s a far cry from the folksy López Obrador. The former president would speak for hours, with lots of colloquial language, and he enjoyed publicly confronting his adversaries. According to Espino, the charismatic former president used his speeches to create “emotional bonds to achieve his true goal.”
Through his powerful speeches, López Obrador managed to leave office with an approval rating still above 60%. His legacy makes him one of Mexico’s most popular presidents in recent history.
Now the question arises as to whether Sheinbaum will be able to capture the attention and win the empathy that López Obrador consolidated during his six-year term.
Campos said it all depends on how she will come across in front of the cameras.
“She will try to create that empathy that López Obrador created,” he said. “We’re going to see if this daily presence will give her control of the press agenda or popularity.”
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