‘I have spoken 22 times with President Trump’: Sheinbaum confident a trade deal is near
The Mexican president says there has been progress, one week before a planned bilateral negotiation over the USMCA trade agreement
President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that Mexico is close to finalizing a trade agreement with the United States. That was the reason for the phone call she held on Wednesday with President Donald Trump, during which she was joined by Foreign Secretary Roberto Velasco and Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. “The call was very good. We are making good progress, but there is not yet a closed agreement,” she said.
The president said she has had 22 phone conversations with Trump from January 2025 to date, and explained that these are made public only when there are concrete agreements. In response to the revelation of the most recent talks by Politico.com, Sheinbaum confirmed that they spoke again on Wednesday, solely to address the latest round of trade negotiations. She emphasized that the call did not address security or the fight against drug trafficking, which have strained bilateral relations for months.
“We spoke with President Trump on Wednesday, it was a programmed call,” said Sheinbaum. “We cannot yet provide a solution or information, [or make] a formal announcement. The possibility of an agreement is making progress, it was a good call. We reached some deals, but until we have a final agreement, we cannot reveal it.”
The call has taken place the week before a new bilateral negotiation over the USMCA trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the U.S. The talks are expected to focus on the thorny issue of tariffs on Mexican automobiles, steel and aluminium.
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