Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a brief 15-minute phone call with US President Donald Trump on January 12, 2026, to defend Mexico's sovereignty amid threats of military intervention against drug cartels. Sheinbaum rejected the need for US troops and highlighted existing bilateral cooperation. Trump also inquired about Mexico's stance on the situation in Venezuela.
On January 12, 2026, President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed during her morning press conference that she had held an emergency 15-minute call with Donald Trump, prompted by the US president's three warnings in one week about potential intervention in Mexico to combat drug cartels, similar to the operation in Venezuela that captured Nicolás Maduro.
Sheinbaum stressed that the conversation focused on respect for Mexican sovereignty. “He insisted that the United States can help on other issues, but we said it is not necessary to send soldiers, due to Mexico's sovereignty. We agreed to continue working together and to have cooperation,” the leader stated. She firmly rejected any US military intervention, highlighting bilateral security advances such as a 50% reduction in fentanyl crossings at the border, a 43% decrease in US fentanyl deaths, and a 40% drop in intentional homicides in Mexico, along with seized labs and arrests.
Trump questioned Mexico's stance on Venezuela, where US forces raided Caracas to arrest Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores for drug trafficking. Sheinbaum replied that, per the Mexican Constitution, the country opposes military interventions, and Trump understood this position without delving deeper.
The call also addressed trade and investments, with agreement to continue dialogue. Sheinbaum announced upcoming meetings, including a collaboration committee session on January 22-23 in the US and the T-MEC review. “I want to tell the people of Mexico: Your president will never negotiate sovereignty or territorial integrity. Never,” she emphasized. She also accused Mexico's opposition of wanting a US intervention to damage the government's image.
In a subsequent tweet, Sheinbaum summarized: “We talked about various topics, including security with respect for our sovereignties, the reduction of drug trafficking, trade, and investments.” This interaction followed a prior call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, which stressed shared responsibility without subordination.
