Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
President Sheinbaum stated that her trip to Spain is not an anti-Trump gesture. By saying this, she gives the impression that something is being hidden. This is because the meeting she will attend has been convened by forces from many global organizations that oppose—as stated by Lula, the president of Brazil and co-host of the event—the resurgence of Nazism and fascism around the world.
“Long live peace,” the president shouted upon arriving in Spain. And her press team distributed an agenda that includes, in addition to a meeting with Pedro Sánchez, the president of Spain, a visit to a supercomputer center. While the Mexican leader tries to emphasize the “rosy” side of her trip to Spain, almost implying she has no political agenda, the Brazilian leader emphasizes that the entire conference is a hard-line political stance against the global right-wing, led by Trump. Lula himself considers himself an ally and friend of Russia and China, the eternal and self-proclaimed enemies of the United States. BRICS is also that: an international alignment against the West, not just against Washington.
But, as with everything, there are exceptions. And Lula makes an exception for Pedro Sánchez, due to his government’s opposition to the war waged by Israel and the United States in the Middle East, refusing to allow U.S. bombers to use military bases on Spanish territory en route to the Persian Gulf to bomb Iran. They are, ultimately, part of the same broad left-wing movement on a global scale. Morena and the Mexican president share that agenda.
The meeting is called Global Progressive Mobilization and was launched by Pedro Sánchez and Inácio Lula da Silva. The latter asserted that it is a front to curb the global right and far-right, and, sarcastically, congratulated Pedro Sánchez for having managed to get Sheinbaum out of her country.
The meeting also has the backing of the Party of European Socialists, the Socialist International, and the Progressive Alliance.
If the Mexican Foreign Ministry thinks it can deceive Washington by making it believe that Sheinbaum is attending a United Nations meeting rather than the Global Progressive Mobilization meeting, then it reveals the dysfunction of the Mexican government itself. This dysfunction stems from the fact that the president’s subordinates believe they can deceive her with fake news, so she repeats it during her morning press conferences, thereby creating a new reality.
We have seen this happen multiple times so far during this six-year term. The most recent example is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by PEMEX’s negligence. Officials led her to believe that the oil company had nothing to do with that crisis, and she attributed the responsibility to previous administrations. Until the lie came to light and the company had to admit it was their fault. But in the meantime, the president told a lie during the morning press briefing, whether knowingly or not. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the sound bite where the president says, “PEMEX had nothing to do with it.” The lie goes down in history. And the president, whether deceived or misinformed by her subordinates, is discredited.
Regarding foreign investment, economic officials speak of investments secured, whereas in reality, they are investment offers subject to certain conditions and/or incentives. Until those conditions or incentives are confirmed, one cannot cite optimistic investment figures. Yet the president cites these figures in her morning press briefings as if they were facts, even as she is being misled.
The famous “legs in the window” of the National Palace is another emblematic case. Faced with “someone’s” decision to deny everything, the president’s office invented the story that the image was a product of Artificial Intelligence. The president repeated that version during her morning press conference. It later became clear that they were “real legs” and that the AI version was a fabrication to cover up the truth. The president’s statement during the morning press conference, claiming it was an AI fabrication, will go down in history.
There are many more cases like these—regarding security, disappearances, the death of El Mencho, beneficiaries of social programs, costs and dates for the Maya Train, the train to AIFA Airport, the Mexico City Metro, and fires at refineries. The president speaks a lot, but with very careless data. Thus, it has become customary (and a source of sarcasm) to hear the “subsequent clarifications” following the morning press conferences, where she attempts to explain away her blunders.
This is relevant to the attempt by the Foreign Ministry and, presumably, the presidential press office to paint the trip to Spain in an innocent, rosy light, devoid of political content. Lula’s sarcastic comment, congratulating Pedro Sánchez for having dragged Sheinbaum out of her house, carries deep political significance. It is the first time they have managed to involve Sheinbaum in a political statement clearly opposed to the movement represented by Trump. And at what moment, in which country, and with which leaders? The moment is while the war in the Middle East continues, in the country that most vociferously opposed Trump’s and Israel’s position (Spain), and with the leader recognized worldwide for that opposition: Pedro Sánchez. Could it be any clearer?
The attempt to cover up the intent behind Sheinbaum’s visit with a smokescreen failed immediately. Trump posted a message on Truth Social, attacking Sánchez for having abandoned the United States in its war in Iran. He said, “NATO hasn’t been there for us.” He said this on the very day Sheinbaum arrived at an anti-Trump event in Spain. Did the White House know that Sheinbaum was going to participate in that event in Barcelona? Of course, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico knows. That is why Trump posted the message. It was his way of saying: I acknowledge the event and the attendance.
Leaders who have previously clashed with Trump resolved their differences. Lula visited Trump at the White House. Petro did as well. But Sheinbaum has not, and therefore maintains a precarious and fragile relationship with Washington. She doesn’t want to go to Washington. She fears—probably with good reason—an ambush in the Oval Office and in front of the U.S. press. However, the longer she postpones that inevitable meeting, the weaker Mexico’s position will be vis-à-vis Washington.
It’s not possible to play on both sides equally. She attends an anti-Trump meeting but denies that’s the nature of the gathering. If Sheinbaum’s presence in Spain does not produce tangible results in economic, technological, or financial matters, it will be seen for what it is: a left-wing political gathering. Did Sheinbaum not learn anything when Washington banned her from sending oil to her beloved Cuba, and she obeyed?
The National Palace apparently believes it can deceive Trump about the purpose of the trip to Spain. The only one being deceived is the president, once again, by her fleet of advisors. Washington has no confusion whatsoever about the purpose of the trip, especially since the announced second “meeting for democracy” will take place in Mexico in 2027, surely on the eve of federal and local elections in Mexico. Is the aim to rally electoral support for Morena with that conference of progressives in Mexico?
The creation of this bloc reeks of another “São Paulo Forum” or “Puebla Group,” both of which are discredited and essentially ideologically bankrupt. Moreover, both Lula and Petro face tight elections this year and may not be in power by 2027. The meeting will lose its quorum and significance, especially without Lula.
Where will the Global Progressive Mobilization end up? Mexico is fantasizing about a world that is not its own while Washington directly threatens the ruling party. And then the country will become even more isolated, a pariah, and worst of all: discredited. And it jeopardizes the renegotiation of the USMCA.
@rpascoep
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