Mexico’s president rejects Trump’s remarks, proposes "Mexican America"

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has strongly rejected claims made by U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump regarding her country, even jokingly suggesting a rebranding of North America as “Mexican America” in response to his remark about renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

During her morning press conference on Wednesday, President Sheinbaum showcased a historical map from 1607, which labelled North America as Mexican America and identified the Gulf as the Gulf of Mexico, predating the founding of the United States by 169 years, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“Why don’t we call it Mexican America? It sounds pretty, no?” she said, pointing at the map with a smile.

The exchange followed Mr. Trump’s assertion that Mexico was “essentially run by the cartels.” Responding firmly, Ms. Sheinbaum said, “with all due respect,” the U.S. president-elect was misinformed.

“In Mexico, the people rule,” she told reporters. “And we are going to collaborate and understand each other with the government of President Trump, I am sure of it, defending our sovereignty as a free, independent and sovereign country.”

President Sheinbaum underscored Mexico’s willingness to continue its collaboration with the United States on issues such as immigration control, security, and combating drug trafficking. She also emphasized the importance of addressing the illegal flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico.

“But we are also very interested in stopping the entry of U.S. firearms into Mexico,” she said, pointing out that approximately 75 per cent of guns seized in Mexico are smuggled from the United States.

This remark highlights a longstanding tension between the two countries. In 2021, Mexico filed a $10 billion lawsuit against seven U.S. gun manufacturers and one distributor, accusing them of enabling the flow of weapons to criminal groups. Although the case was initially dismissed, a federal appeals court allowed it to proceed last year. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the case in March.

Unlike the United States, Mexico enforces strict gun control laws, with only a single gun store in the country issuing fewer than 50 permits annually. Despite these measures, gun violence continues to plague Mexico, exacerbated by the illegal flow of firearms across the border.

By Vugar Khalilov