What Trump and El Chapo’s lawyer have in common

MXPE Weekly Essentials ft. Mexican companies gang up in AT&T, former president accused, and other highlights in Mexican politics, policy, and markets from the past week.

MXPE Weekly Essentials. Only the most important news in Mexican politics, policy, and markets from the past week.

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Two important warning shots were fired at Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration this week.

It started with Jeffrey Litchman, the defense lawyer representing Sinaloa Cartel’s Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán and his family as they are held in US custody. Litchman suggested the Mexican government, at its highest levels, is in cahoots with drug cartels.

Then, a few days later, Donald Trump announced he’d be imposing 30% tariffs on Mexico starting August 1st.

Both statements put Shienbaum in a bind, threatening to knock over two of her administration’s most important and yet teetering pillars: the economy and security.

At the same time, both announcements were just that—warning shots. And, given the men who fired them, it is likely that instead of announcing any future action, these shots are chiefly meant to affect the behaviour of their target audiences.

The difficulty lies in discerning who Trump and Litchman are talking to.