25.02.2026 12:20
U.S. billionaire Elon Musk's statement that "Sheinbaum is just saying what cartel bosses want her to say" has stirred controversy in Mexico. President Sheinbaum, in response to Musk's remarks, stated, "We are considering initiating some kind of legal action. Lawyers are looking into this. They don't even know what to make up anymore."
The increasing violence in Mexico following the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader and the country's most wanted drug lord El Mencho on February 22 has made headlines around the world.
MUSK'S CONTROVERSIAL POST
According to reports in the Mexican press, Musk commented on a video from 2025 on the social media platform of the US-based X company, in which Sheinbaum criticized operations against boats suspected of drug trafficking in the US, stating, "She (Sheinbaum) is just saying what the cartel bosses want her to say."
PRESIDENT TAKES ACTION
In response, Sheinbaum stated during her daily press conference regarding Musk's remarks, "We are considering initiating some kind of legal action. Lawyers are looking into this." She added, "The claim that a government is run by drug trafficking, if it was absurd before, is even more absurd now. It is collapsing under its own weight. They don't even know what to make up anymore."
WHAT HAPPENED?
In Mexico, federal security forces conducted a military operation against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in the town of Tapalpa, located about 130 kilometers south of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, where it was reported that CJNG leader El Mencho was killed during the clash.
Following the operation, as a possible retaliation from the criminal organization, numerous roadblocks and incidents of vehicle and business arson occurred in Jalisco and several other states in the country. The Jalisco state government requested the public to stay at home, suspended public transportation, and implemented a "red alert" due to developments threatening public safety.
Widespread violence continues to escalate in many states across the country. In the violence that erupted after El Mencho's death, 73 people, including 25 security personnel, lost their lives.