But against any forecast, The Mexican president achieved a 90 -day trucewithout giving sovereignty or accepting humiliating conditions. He did it with diplomacy, temper and a strategy that has been building since he assumed power almost 10 months ago.
Trump returned to the White House on January 20, 2025 and, faithful to his style, soon turned on alarms. Since March, its commercial team began writing executive orders directed directly to Mexico. For Trump, our country remains a useful electoral piece: border, migrants, fentanyl and “commercial dumping”.
In April, he formally notified his intention to apply A 30% tariff to Mexican productswhat would affect More than 240,000 million dollars in annual exportsaccording to data from the US Census Bureau. Only the automotive sector would have lost More than 700,000 direct jobs in Mexico and at the same time check to companies of Texas, Michigan and California.
Since then, Sheinbaum opted for a little seen strategy in recent years: Neither open confrontation nor quiet submission. Began A silent but firm negotiationstrengthened links with the US Congress, activated its economic team and deployed Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena and Ambassador Moctezuma Barragán as key pieces.
The call of firmness and strategy
This Wednesday’s phone call was direct: without Rodeos, without drama, but also without easy concessions. Sheinbaum requested space for real solutions and proposed trilateral work tables (United States, Mexico and private sector) with measurable results.
Trump, although reluctant at first, ended accepting an extension of 90 days before activating tariffsas long as Mexico shows advances on three fronts:
1. Greater immigration control on the southern borderwith more operational deployment and biometric filters for irregular transit.
2. Preferential access to Mexican energy resourcesincluding lithium and gas, for companies with US capital.
3. Improvements in job and environmental traceability in export productsmainly in textiles, agribusiness and heavy manufacturing.
A determining actor in this diplomatic victory is Ronald JohnsonUS ambassador to Mexico since February of this year. With previous experience in foreign trade and a direct channel with Trump’s son -in -law, Jared Kushner, Johnson was the architect of the line of trust that allowed this call.
Since March, Johnson softened positions in the White Houseconvincing Trump’s environment that a commercial war with Mexico would directly affect its industrial voters. The role of the ambassador has been as silent as strategic
