Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
Donald Trump’s presence at Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican and Claudia Sheinbaum’s absence from the event revealed some of the strains in the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States. Trump was in unfamiliar territory, and his tête-à-tête with Zelensky was almost an act of contrition after their last meeting at the White House, where the American had rebuffed the Ukrainian. In contrast, the Mexican president’s absence reflected her obsession to avoid being in a place where she did not control all the factors, and she did not want to be surprised by Trump or anyone else. It was better not to attend, as it would expose her to dangerous encounters.
Trump’s intemperate style contrasts with Sheinbaum’s caution. But both leaders profess the same ideology of “transformation.” One is a neighborhood bully, the other a terrified person who calculates everything before acting. But they are identified by their promotion of surprisingly similar projects.
A word of caution: these times can deceive the observer’s eye, even that of the most seasoned analyst. Some claim to be the political leaders of the future, offering change, transformation, or revolution with an abundance of rhetoric but a lack of concrete proposals. From north to south and east to west, social media enables these would-be leaders to offer, stir up, and promise the hidden riches of unviable paradises.
The political offerings of MAGA and the 4T are very similar, even though some claim to be on the right and others on the left. We can confidently say that these labels, self-imposed by their authors, are no more than the color of the wrapping paper. What’s inside, however, is surprisingly similar.
Let’s look at some examples. Both “transformative” movements have decided to cancel, destroy, or disable all state institutions that interfere with their political project or force them to be accountable to autonomous bodies. Autonomy repugns them. They want all state bodies to be absolutely subordinate to them. They are the judge and jury in any dispute. And when they do not find sufficient support or submission to their demands, they resort to claiming threats to national security.
Both governments use the pretext of “austerity” to eliminate agencies, departments, and, obviously, personnel. They consider these personnel, such as career civil servants, to be disloyal to their political causes and therefore must be fired without explanation. And if they resist dismissal, they are accused of corruption.
The judiciary is another enemy to be defeated in the MAGA and 4T mindset. It must be said: so far, Trump has not dared to do what the 4T has done, which is to destroy the judiciary from its foundations. Trump has so far limited himself to arresting judges who challenge him. But his attacks on judges and justices are relentless and foreshadow more conflicts shortly. The 4T has been more radical: it completely eradicated the justice system in Mexico by ordering the “democratic election” of judges, justices, and magistrates. The 4T has been more radical: it abolished Mexico’s Justice system by ordering a “democratic election” of magistrates and Justices. This opens Pandora’s box: Mexico will have judges elected by drug traffickers, by the 4T and its allies, by economic interests, or by politicians of various stripes. The “democratic” transformation will become a judicial perversion on a national scale, leaving the country in the hands of judges with shady interests. Trump and Sheinbaum will have firm control over judicial decisions, which could be used to harm their enemies.
Any institution that smells “autonomous” is considered an enemy by MAGA and the 4T. Universities are centers for the dissemination of critical thinking that they do not want to tolerate. Criticism, in their opinion, comes from a destructive or malevolent spirit and must therefore be fought and eliminated. MAGA says that universities are leftist. The 4T says they are right-wing. In both cases, universities deserve to be fought, and both governments begin by reducing public funding for science, research, and teaching. Both wage war on intelligence.
Another source of conflict is the media. MAGA and the 4T agree that the “traditional media” are against them and must be replaced, without hesitation or remorse. Hence, the inspired telecommunications law of the 4T. Both MAGA and the 4T have their alternative media outlets, and they are given privileged space at official press conferences attended by presidents, secretaries, or spokespersons. Many of them are social media outlets that have enriched themselves through their enthusiasm for the transformative works of MAGA and the 4 T movement.
MAGA is attempting to rewrite US history, starting with Presidents Polk and Monroe, both exponents of “American exceptionalism” and its right to decide its future and that of the countries it considers within its “sphere of influence.” At one point in history, that sphere of influence included parts of Mexico. At another, it encompassed the Panama Canal and the Caribbean. More recently, it has expanded to include the rest of the world, including Canada and Greenland.
The 4T is also rewriting national history, refusing to acknowledge the Spanish conquest and colonization. It ranges from pre-Hispanic cultures and jumps haphazardly to independence, reform, revolution, and the 4T. Both MAGA and the 4T invest in rewriting national histories to accommodate their current political narratives, justifying their “legitimate” assault on power by claiming to be the only authentic representatives of the “national spirit.” That spirit that was desecrated by previous false prophets. Such is their animosity that Mexico almost broke diplomatic relations with Spain.
Finally, both MAGA and the 4T promote narratives of their exceptionalism and uniqueness. Only in this way can they justify the wave of protectionism that runs through the work of both governments. Trump’s tariffs are an expression of economic protectionism, while his national security thesis serves as justification for his territorial claims for national protection, including Panama to the south and Canada and Greenland to the north.
Mexico promotes two protectionist theses. Sovereignty is often used as a pretext for economic protectionism, closing the energy, mining, and telecommunications sectors to private investment. In contrast, national security is the justification for territorial protectionism to prevent foreign interference in the fight against drug trafficking, to make it “our” issue and no one else’s. Closing Mexico off to pressure from our mirror image, the United States, is understandable, but it is an exercise in futility.
Finally, both MAGA and the 4T engage in a form of verbal abuse against anything that could represent or embody their “enemies.” They refer to people. Journalists with names and surnames, disobedient officials, former presidents, people searching for the disappeared, the middle and upper classes, intellectuals, academics, certain businesspeople, and investors. Trump attacks them, and Sheinbaum does the same at press conferences. They are “scum,” says Trump, while Sheinbaum speaks of “fifís.” Racist and classist tones are always present in their vocabulary.
While MAGA and the Fourth Transformation profess to be forces for change, their actions and words say the opposite. While professing renewal, they are steering both countries toward a profound regression of decades of democracy, freedoms, solidarity, and fraternity. Both processes threaten to destroy the achievements of both societies, which were attained through the efforts and sacrifices of their peoples.
@rpascoep
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