With just over two months to go until the end of his term, there will be plenty of assessments and retrospectives from the president of the 4T, the leader, the “transformer of the country,” whose final nail will be stuck in the heart of Mexican democracy, with his destructive package of reforms to be approved in September, before he leaves.
The exchanges this week between Trump’s harsh and aggressive campaign against Mexico highlight one of AMLO’s frequent blunders. Just on Monday, he called Donald Trump a “visionary.”
This scoundrel, misogynist, convicted criminal, and systematic violator of laws and treaties was described by the President of Mexico as a visionary.
Two days later, yesterday, during his election campaign – where the rhetoric fueled by the desire to win votes leads to excesses, inaccuracies and lies in abundance – Donald Trump stated that “Mexico is controlled by cartels – drug cartels, that is – and that they are so powerful that they can remove the president of Mexico in minutes.”
A truly crazy statement, excessive and disproportionate; however, it has an intention, a meaning and a tone.
It is a clear insult to “his friend” López Obrador who professes admiration for him as a visionary, but also leaves the implication that the president of Mexico is at the mercy, will and command of drug traffickers. Very delicate!
This is not the first time that voices have emerged from the United States pointing to links, deals or secret agreements between the drug cartels that operate in our territory and President López Obrador himself. Furthermore, a few days ago, there was an allegation of evidence of financing from organized crime for his electoral campaign (2018). Extremely serious accusations, which Andrés dismisses and admiringly describes as “a visionary.”
But what is important about these bellicose and harsh tones from the Republican Party and its candidate towards Mexico is that they reveal with absolute transparency the widespread belief that “all evils come from Mexico”: the illegal migrant invasion, fentanyl as the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths in the last two years, and the undeniable threat that Mexican criminal groups represent for the internal security of the United States.
Mexico is today equated with China—the greatest enemy, the ultimate spy and pirate—that wants to penetrate the American economy in order to dominate it. Today, vice presidential candidate Senator Vance and Trump himself place Mexico in that same category.
The future foreign minister, De la Fuente, did not say a word; the current foreign minister and future member of the cabinet, Alicia Bárcena, did not even notice the insults and grievances.
It was the future president of Mexico who had to come out and make some statements in defense of Mexico. “We are not going to allow Mexico to be in the political campaign of the United States,” said the winning candidate.
Oh my! Well, a bit late, doctor. Because we are already in the campaign, we are the main piñata along with China. And everything indicates that this tone is going to harden as we approach November with the elections.
AMLO, as always, looking the other way, pretending not to see, or worse, not to understand.
Trump is not his friend, he has insulted and offended him, as he did this weekend with “the bent envoy” Marcelo Ebrard.
Trump is a threat to Mexico, to trade, to the border, and of course, to national security. What will the talented and silent Dr. De la Fuente do when Trump — if he wins — orders the Pentagon to prepare commando raids to stop, neutralize, and eliminate Mexican drug traffickers in Sinaloa, Jalisco, Tamaulipas, etc.? What will the “bent” future Secretary of the Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, do when he faces the first threats of tariffs against Mexico because of immigrants, because of fentanyl, because of the powerful criminals in this country?
López Obrador’s foreign policy legacy is a disaster.
We have conflicts and disagreements with Peru, with Bolivia, with Argentina, with Spain… we have had them with Canada during this six-year term.
The professional, prestigious and internationally recognized Mexican Foreign Service was dismantled during this administration. Horror stories have been told by retired diplomats and consular staff since the 4T came to power.
It will be up to the future government to repair Mexico’s damaged international image, while devoting resources, attention and professionalism to the very complex relationship with the United States.
If Trump wins, it will be extremely complicated and challenging; if Kamala Harris wins, there may be better understanding and dialogue, but the border and immigration issues, as well as fentanyl, will continue to be a priority.
