This editorial by Carlos Fernández-Vega originally appeared in the January 23, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
This is not a semantic issue, nor can it be argued that the constant threat of one power annexing another country is merely a difference of “viewpoints” or a “clash of rhetoric,” because it is, in reality, a blatant act of theft and a violation of international law. And if the unhinged head of the White House cartel has demonstrated anything, it is his constant aggression against the community of nations (except, of course, Israel, with the genocidal Benjamin Netanyahu at its helm), and it seems no one dares to put a stop to it.
So far, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s statement at the World Economic Forum has been the only denunciation of Trump’s imperialistic actions, especially his penchant for illegally appropriating third-party nations, including Canada itself, in the name, he claims, of US “national security.” And that leader’s warning is clear: “If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” and historically, Third World countries always appear on the “menu” to be consumed.
Well, the above is relevant because yesterday President Sheinbaum was asked about the aforementioned statements by Mark Carney—who is openly anti-annexationist—and the irrational reaction of the orange-clad demented politician (“Canada exists thanks to the United States”), and her comment on the matter was clearly not the most appropriate: “I wouldn’t call it a ‘clash of discourses,’ but rather simply different points of view regarding what is happening internationally. I haven’t spoken recently with the (Canadian) Prime Minister; we have reached out and we are going to try to have a conversation; and, of course, with President Trump, regarding all the negotiations related to the USMCA.”
Everything suggests that the Mexican government has been slow to act and has become trapped in a single mechanism.
The need to be cautious and handle the delicate bilateral relationship with the madman in the White House with the precision of a surgeon is understandable, but there are facts that cannot be ignored, such as in the case of Trump and his constant threat to make Canada the 51st state (the 52nd would be Greenland), nor is the insistent “warning” to invade Mexican territory acceptable, in his eager expansionist attitude, under the pretext, as he says, of “fighting the drug cartels”.
So, for a disturbed individual like Trump to try to annex another country and incorporate it into his own territory is not precisely a “difference of viewpoints” and even less a “clash of discourses,” but rather demands the response, however rhetorical, of an aggressed nation against the aggressor and the public denunciation of the systematic violation of international law.
True: the trilateral relationship under the USMCA is hanging by a thread, not for lack of will on the part of Mexico and Canada, but due to the increasingly extortionate tactics of the man who works at Mar-a-Lago and, occasionally, in the Oval Office. Canada has begun to make moves (its rapprochement with the People’s Republic of China is evidence of this), but Mexico is clinging to the treaty: all its eggs in one basket, something that, given the frenzied dynamic imposed by Trump, doesn’t seem to be the wisest course of action.
Just yesterday, the Mexican president announced the expansion of trade mechanisms with Europe, Latin America, and Asia, although she said, “We believe the USMCA will be preserved; there may be some changes, but ultimately it will be maintained because it is mutually beneficial. Obviously, we have and seek relationships with other regions of the world.” However, everything suggests that the Mexican government has been slow to act, because it should have opened these channels long ago. But it has become trapped in a single mechanism.
In fact, yesterday President Sheinbaum insisted that “we are going to work to ensure that (the USMCA) does not fall apart, and we believe it is beneficial for all three countries to maintain the trade agreement. Next week, Secretary Ebrard (who warns that “the United States is undergoing a major strategic shift, reorganizing itself based on conservative economic nationalism”) will go to Washington to continue working on trade issues.” She also revealed that “a working group is currently monitoring the Security Understanding, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although there is also a group from the Ministry of Citizen Security and the Attorney General’s Office.”
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Mexico SA
January 23, 2026January 23, 2026
Canada has begun to make moves (such as rapprochement with the People’s Republic of China), but Mexico is clinging to the USMCA: all its eggs in one basket, something that, given the frenzied dynamic imposed by Trump, doesn’t seem to be the wisest course of action.
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People’s Mañanera January 22
January 22, 2026January 22, 2026
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on tough talkin’, economic update, Puebla violence, Puebla flooding reconstruction and electoral reform.
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Progressive International’s Emergency Nuestra América Summit Arrives at Critical Juncture for Latin American Unity
January 22, 2026January 22, 2026
Beset by disunity, cynical calculation, tepid reformism and an ascendant ultra-right, Latin America and the Caribbean must unite against a US imperialism which aims to snuff out any emancipatory possibilities and subjugate the continent once and for all.
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