Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
- 👩🏽 New minister for women announced: After almost two months without a minister for women following Citlalli Hernández’s resignation, Sheinbaum announced that Laura Itzel Castillo will take over once she finishes her term as Senate president.
- ⚽ World Cup gets a “10”: Asked for her assessment of the tournament’s opening days, Sheinbaum said people are “happy,” crediting Mexico’s win over South Africa and free fan festival sites where matches can be watched. She said the tournament in Mexico so far has been “excellent.”
- 🎟️ Fan sites filling the TV gap: Sheinbaum noted that not all matches are on free-to-air TV, so fan sites help people who can’t afford to watch at home.
- 🇲🇽🇺🇸🇨🇦 USMCA: Sheinbaum says pact will hold: Despite Trump’s recent declaration that he was not seeking to “renew” the USMCA, Sheinbaum said she believed all three countries favor extending the pact 16 more years, citing benefits to the region. A Mexican delegation led by Marcelo Ebrard is in Washington this week for talks.
- 📞 Open to talking with Trump: Asked if she would speak with Trump about the USMCA, Sheinbaum said: “If it’s necessary, yes, of course.”
Why today’s mañanera matters
Among the most significant developments at today’s mañanera was President Claudia Sheinbaum’s long-awaited announcement on who Mexico’s second-ever minister for women will be.
Citlalli Hernández left the position almost two months ago, leaving the Women’s Ministry — which was created by Sheinbaum — without an officially designated head. Although the president insists that the ministry has continued its work uninterrupted since the resignation of Hernández, not having a minister for women has been less than ideal given the federal government’s stated objective of improving the lives of Mexican women.
Also of note at today’s mañanera was Sheinbaum’s assessment of the opening days of the FIFA men’s World Cup in Mexico, a tournament that is taking place here (and in the United States and Canada) against a backdrop of ongoing protests by disgruntled teachers, madres buscadoras (mothers searching for their missing children) and others.
The president also reaffirmed what Mexico’s goals are in USMCA review talks with the United States, which are taking place in Washington, D.C., this week.
Sheinbaum announces new minister for women
A reporter asked the president when she would be announcing a new minister for women, noting that the Ministry for Women hasn’t had an official head for 59 days.
Sheinbaum highlighted that Deputy Minister for Women Ingrid Gómez has been in charge of the ministry since the resignation of Citlalli Hernández in April.
She subsequently announced that when Laura Itzel Castillo has “finished her work as president of the Senate,” she will become minister for women.
“She is determining the dates, and meanwhile all the activities of the ministry are being carried out. They are not interrupted,” Sheinbaum said.
Castillo has had a long political career, serving as a lawmaker in the Mexico City Congress and the federal Chamber of Deputies in the 1990s, and mayor of the Mexico City borough of Coyoacán in 1999 and 2000. She subsequently served as urban development and housing minister in Mexico City during the 2000-2005 mayorship of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador before once again becoming a federal deputy. For three years between late 2015 and late 2018, she was the general director of Mexico City’s Passenger Transportation Network (RTP), which operates buses in the capital.
Sheinbaum: The World Cup in Mexico has been ‘excellent’
A reporter asked the president for her assessment on the opening days of the World Cup in Mexico, where three matches have been played to date: Mexico vs. South Africa in Mexico City last Thursday; South Korea vs. Czechia in Guadalajara last Thursday; and Sweden vs. Tunisia in Monterrey on Sunday night.
“The people are happy, happy, happy, happy, extremely happy,” Sheinbaum responded.
She attributed people’s happiness to Mexico’s victory over South Africa as well as the fact they can watch matches for free at fan festival sites that have been set up across the country, “and particularly in the three World Cup host cities.”
Sheinbaum noted that not all matches are being shown on free-to-air television in Mexico. People who can’t afford to pay to watch all the matches at home can watch them at fan sites, she said.
“That helps a lot,” Sheinbaum said.
She said “there is a lot of World Cup atmosphere” in Mexico, highlighting the large turnout at fan sites.
Mexico’s week in review: World Cup opener brings victory for Mexico amid protests and trade tensions
“There is a lot of atmosphere, a lot of happiness. Visitors — as always in Mexico — are welcomed,” Sheinbaum said.
She said her overall assessment of the World Cup in Mexico to date was “very good, excellent.”
“Score: 10,” Sheinbaum added.
She noted that the Mexican team will play its next match against South Korea in Guadalajara on Thursday, while the next game in Mexico is Colombia vs. Uzbekistan in Mexico City on Wednesday night.
The president didn’t reveal where she would watch Mexico’s next match. She watched El Tri’s 2-0 win over South Africa from a fan festival site in the northern Mexico City borough of Gustavo A. Madero.
Sheinbaum says she will speak with Trump to discuss USMCA ‘if necessary’
Sheinbaum said that the “upholding” of the USMCA would be a successful outcome of the review of the trilateral free trade pact, a lengthy process that is continuing this week with bilateral trade talks between Mexico and the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump put such an outcome in some doubt last Wednesday when he said he wasn’t “looking to renew” the USMCA, which superseded NAFTA in 2020.
Despite Trump’s remarks, Sheinbaum said she believed that the three signatories to the USMCA — Mexico, the U.S. and Canada — were in favor of the renewal of the trade pact for an additional 16 years because “it has benefited the three countries.”
She said that the U.S. is in favor of tightening USMCA rules of origin so that fewer imports from outside the region are used in North American manufacturing.
“They insist a lot on manufacturing in the United States. Obviously, we say it shouldn’t just be the United States, but rather the region,” Sheinbaum said, highlighting that the USMCA supports regional integration.
She noted that a Mexican delegation headed up by Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard is in Washington, D.C. for bilateral trade talks this week.
“Our objective is for the agreement to be maintained and we believe there won’t be any problem with that,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that another goal of the Mexican government is to have current U.S. tariffs on Mexican steel, aluminum and vehicles reduced.
Asked whether she expected to have a call or meeting with Trump to discuss the USMCA review, Sheinbaum responded: “If it’s necessary, yes, … of course.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
