Mexican President Folds After One Phone Call with Trump, Openly Considering Policy Adjustments

The spark of resistance is officially gone — as at least one foreign leader already appears to be folding after just one phone call with President-elect Donald Trump.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is signaling that significant policy changes are on the table just days after a post-Election Day congratulatory call to the U.S. president-elect.

Trump reportedly shattered the “cordial” call by bringing up the most pressing issue on U.S.-Mexico relations: the lengthy border between our two countries and the unacceptable state of it.

According to Fox News Digital, Sheinbaum is considering the adjustments in direct response to the incoming Trump administration.

In a recent press conference, the Mexican president gave assurances that the nation’s sovereignty would not be lost while maintaining a positive relationship with Trump.

The policy changes could be expected across multiple sectors as America’s relationship with Mexico is more complicated than border security issues alone.

Mexico’s economy, while historically not the most robust, stands to lose in a big way.

Tariffs floated by Trump would target Mexican exports. The automotive industry alone, an important sector in the country, could be among the most bloodied.

According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, vehicle production, including the manufacturing of parts and technology for cars, is one of Mexico’s “most significant” industries.

The automotive sector alone accounts for 3.6 percent of Mexico’s gross domestic product.

Trump’s targeting of the industry would undoubtedly shake factory floors from Baja California to the Yucatan. Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s economy minister, hinted that the nation may respond with tariffs of its own against the U.S..

Another area where Sheinbaum’s administration will undoubtedly have to change gears is the border.

While Mexican forces are working security on the country’s border with the United States, the effort is laughably ineffective. A way to stay in Trump’s good graces could be to simply guard the border.

The nature of the situation is clear to at least some of Mexico’s politicians.

“Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration will have to reinforce the security strategy on the southern border by deploying the National Guard and strengthening the presence of the National Migration Institute,” Mexican Congressman Raul Torres told Fox News Digital.

Trump’s promised deportation effort, which he vows will be substantial, also stands to complicate matters for Sheinbaum.

“Now with the coming Trump administration, everything is going to be much more complex because they will not only focus on immigration but also on trade and security,” Baker Institute scholar Rodrigo Montes de Oca told Fox.

In rushing to meet the results of Trump’s policies, it’s expected that Mexico may increase immigration enforcement (many “migrants” enter Mexico through that country’s own southern border) and submit to working with U.S. authorities.

And it seems Sheinbaum is not the only Mexican politician that needs to worry.

“That is why Trump went so far as to say during the campaign that if Mexico did not cooperate on these issues,” Montes de Oca continued, “he would make public the U.S. government’s intelligence information on politicians in Mexico who are related to drug cartels.”

Considering the cartels’ influence in Mexico — Sheinbaum was elected after a record number of presidential candidate assassinations, per Reuters — it’s safe to say this would likely expose a significant amount of lawmakers.

For Sheinbaum and Mexico in general, the expectations over the next four years are clear: Behave and help Trump’s America restore order, or else.

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