Musk launches a serious accusation against the president of Mexico after the killing of El Mencho. Sheinbaum's reply

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that her administration is considering taking legal action against US entrepreneur Elon Musk after he accused the Mexican government of being controlled by drug cartels.

Claudia Sheinbaum PHOTO EPA-EFE

Speaking at his morning press conference on February 24, Sheinbaum dismissed Musk's claims as “absurd” and baseless, announcing that his legal team is evaluating whether there are grounds for legal action.

“We are looking into whether we will take legal action,” Sheinbaum told reporters. “Lawyers are looking into the situation. But for me, what's important is what people are saying.”

The dispute erupted after Musk wrote on February 23 on his social media platform X that Sheinbaum was “just saying what her bosses in the cartel tell her to do.” The comment came in response to a 2025 video re-circulated online in which the president argued that a return to a militarized “war on drugs” approach was not the solution to the country's security problems.

“Let's just say the punishment for disobedience is a little harsher than a 'performance improvement plan,'” Musk added in a later post.

The exchange of remarks comes amid heightened tensions in Mexico following a major military operation that killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, one of the country's most powerful and wanted drug traffickers.

Mexican authorities have confirmed that Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was shot dead during an operation carried out on February 22 in the town of Tapalpa, in the state of Jalisco. He later died on the way to the hospital.

His death triggered a wave of violence in several states in Mexico. CJNG members erected road barricades, set fire to vehicles and clashed with security forces. Dozens of people lost their lives as a result of these incidents.

The operation is one of the biggest blows to organized crime in Mexico in recent years, but analysts have warned that the fragmentation of the cartel could create further instability.

Political and international pressures

Musk's comments amplified an already tense political climate. A vocal critic of leftist governments, Musk is considered close to US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized Sheinbaum's anti-cartel strategy.

In recent months, Trump has accused the Mexican government of not doing enough to combat drug trafficking and has publicly hinted at the possibility of unilateral US military action against cartels operating on Mexican soil.

“She doesn't run Mexico. The cartels run Mexico,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News in January. He also said he offered US military support to “take out the cartels,” an option consistently rejected by Sheinbaum on the grounds that it would infringe on Mexico's sovereignty.

In September, the US State Department designated Mexico as an area of ​​concern for drug trafficking and called for “additional and aggressive efforts” to dismantle cartel leaders, clandestine laboratories, financial networks and supply chains.

Sheinbaum defends his strategy

In the face of internal criticism and external pressure, Sheinbaum has defended his security record. While rejecting a return to full militarization, it has deployed nearly 10,000 National Guard members to the northern border to combat fentanyl trafficking, particularly in the wake of tariff threats from the US earlier in the year.

She has also taken targeted military action against cartels, although she has argued that the process should focus on prosecuting criminals rather than killing them in law enforcement operations.

His administration has also stepped up extraditions to the United States. In January 2025 alone, 37 people were transferred to the custody of US authorities, followed by other groups in the following months.

At Tuesday's conference, Sheinbaum rejected accusations that his government is controlled by criminal organizations, calling the idea of ​​a “narco-government” baseless.

“It falls apart on its own,” she said. “I don't know what else to make up. Honestly, it's ridiculous.”

Despite the criticism, Sheinbaum emphasized that his administration will remain focused on security and social policy, not online commentary.

“The vast majority of people recognize the work of the armed forces and the efforts we make every day — not just in the field of security, but for the good of the country and the well-being of all Mexicans,” she said. “This will guide us.”