MEXICO CITY, Mexico – President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that her government was considering possible legal action after Elon Musk accused her of being beholden to drug cartels, remarks she described as baseless and offensive.
Speaking at her morning news conference on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, Sheinbaum was asked to respond to comments Musk made a day earlier on social media.
“Well, we are considering whether to take any legal action,” she said. “The lawyers are looking into it.”
She dismissed the accusation that she leads a “narco-government” as unfounded.
“It falls apart all on its own,” she said. “They don’t even know what to invent any more, right? Honestly, it’s laughable.”
Violence After Cartel Leader’s Death
The exchange followed a surge of violence in several parts of Mexico after the killing on Sunday of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Mexican military officials said El Mencho was tracked to the town of Tapalpa in central Mexico and died while being taken for medical treatment after being shot by authorities.
In the aftermath, members of his organisation carried out road blockades, set vehicles and buildings on fire and clashed with security forces. Dozens of people were killed during the unrest.
Musk was among online commentators who criticised Sheinbaum’s approach to security following the violence. His posts responded to a video circulating online in which the president argued for alternatives to a militarised “war on drugs” strategy.
“She’s just saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say,” Musk wrote.
In another post, he added, “Let’s just say that their punishment for disobedience is a little worse than a ‘performance improvement plan’.”
U.S. Pressure and Political Criticism
A vocal critic of left-wing governments, Musk has aligned himself closely with Donald Trump, who has repeatedly pressed Mexico to take more aggressive action against drug cartels.
In September, the United States Department of State listed Mexico as an area of concern for drug trafficking and said “much more remains to be done” to target cartel leadership, drug laboratories and illicit finances.
Trump has also accused Sheinbaum of failing to control criminal groups.
“She’s not running Mexico. The cartels are running Mexico,” he told Fox News, adding that he had asked whether Mexico wanted the United States to “take out the cartels.”
Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected the idea of unilateral U.S. military action in Mexico, saying it would violate national sovereignty.
Trump has nevertheless warned that Washington is considering military strikes on Mexican soil.
Government’s Record
Sheinbaum defended her administration’s security policies on Tuesday, pointing to steps taken in response to U.S. pressure.
After the United States imposed tariffs in February 2025, Mexico deployed nearly 10,000 members of its National Guard to the northern border to curb fentanyl trafficking, she said.
Her government has also authorised targeted military operations against cartel figures and overseen the extradition of dozens of suspects to the United States.
In January 2025, 37 people were extradited, followed by additional transfers in April and August.
Sunday’s killing of El Mencho, she said, marked the culmination of a long-running effort by Mexican authorities to capture him.
Still, Trump briefly posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday that “Mexico must step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs,” a message later removed.
Sheinbaum said she was unconcerned by criticism from abroad.
“The vast majority of people recognise the work of the armed forces and the work we are doing every day,” she said, adding that the views of Mexican citizens, not foreign commentators, would guide her government.
