She likes to be called Presidenta, with an a at the end. She made history in 2024 by becoming the first woman to lead Mexico.
Claudia Sheinbaum, 62, a politician and climate scientist, is facing two major challenges: violence fueled by drug traffickers and the expansionist instincts of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has placed tariffs on Mexico citing drugs and immigrant trafficking at the border.
She has a self-described “cool head” leadership style, and her approach to cross-border negotiations seems to have won some grudging respect from her American counterpart. But despite making shifts in Mexico’s security strategy, she has refused to criticize the past policies of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. More than 180,000 Mexicans were killed during his presidency.
With the slogan “It’s time for women,” she won the presidency, and her party, Morena, controls the congress and most states. But we have yet to see what la Presidenta will do with that mandate.
Ramos is a journalist, author, and Emmy-winning host who anchored Univision News for 38 years