Female politician "rewrites" the rules of negotiation with Mr. Trump

(Dan Tri) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said it is important to keep a "cool head" when reacting to the first executive orders of the US President.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum (Photo: AFP).

When US President Donald Trump called last week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum knew he would not budge on tariffs. But she eventually struck a deal that world leaders will study for their own trade talks with the US.

The February 3 call between the two leaders was difficult, tense and lasted nearly 45 minutes, according to people familiar with the matter. Ms. Sheinbaum held her ground and offered adjustments on trade, drugs and immigration that could capture Mr. Trump’s attention without escalating the disagreement.

“People have to speak Trump’s language,” said one person familiar with the matter.

The deployment of troops was the idea of ​​the Sheinbaum administration. Accordingly, Mexico will send 10,000 soldiers to ensure security and prevent drugs from crossing the border. This is in line with the request of Mr. Donald Trump.

As a result, Mexico reached an agreement with the Trump administration to suspend tariffs for a month while it reviews its border policy. Canada reached a similar agreement.

Later that day, Mr Trump said he had “a great talk with Mexico”.

According to a Canadian official, Ms. Sheinbaum’s surprise deal with Mr. Trump shows Canada that there is a way to avoid the punitive tariffs the U.S. announced on Feb. 1. The U.S., Canada and Mexico have a joint trade agreement that would be upended, hurting the economies of all three countries, but Canada and Mexico would still be hit harder.

In Europe, where leaders are preparing for trade talks with Mr. Trump, officials said they had studied the reactions of both Mexico and Canada and were in close contact with both countries.

Ms Sheinbaum's approach was praised by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: "The Mexican president is a smart politician. She handled it very well."

Ms. Sheinbaum is currently the most popular politician in Mexico, with an approval rating of 75%. Since taking office in October, she has surprised Mexican observers with her flexibility on some ideological issues, especially with the local business community and foreign investors.

For the US, a day after Mr Trump's inauguration, Ms Sheinbaum said it was important to keep a cool head when responding to the US President's first executive orders.

Those orders include renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and declaring cartels terrorist organizations — a move that could pave the way for the use of US military force on Mexican soil.

Ms. Sheinbaum is better prepared than most to deal with Mr. Trump, said Duncan Wood, president and CEO of the Los Angeles-based Pacific Council for International Policy and an expert on U.S.-Mexico relations.

One of her accomplishments has been to look beyond Mr Trump's rhetoric to consider long-term moves.

For Mr. Wood, the US-Mexico relationship has never been simple, especially with President Trump in office.

"But despite the many issues that remain, I think we have seen the two countries moving closer together, although it is not certain that the situation will always be stable. This is a process of two steps forward, one step back," he concluded.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nu-chinh-khach-viet-lai-quy-tac-dam-phan-voi-ong-trump-20250215075651956.htm