Mexico Considers Legal Action after Musk Comments Amid Cartel Turmoil
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum is weighing legal action against Elon Musk after he accused her of links to drug cartels, calling his remarks «ridiculous» and baseless.
The controversy erupted after Musk wrote on X that Sheinbaum was «saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say,» responding to a resurfaced 2025 video in which she rejected a return to a militarised «war on drugs.» Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Sheinbaum confirmed government lawyers are reviewing possible legal steps, saying the claims show a «lack of understanding of the national reality.»
The dispute comes amid escalating tensions following the dramatic capture and killing of Nemesio «El Mencho» Oseguera, leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during a weekend military raid. The operation, reportedly backed by U.S. intelligence, has heightened pressure on Sheinbaum’s administration to intensify action against organised crime.
Sheinbaum defended the raid as consistent with her peace-focused strategy, arguing that targeting individuals with arrest warrants does not signal a return to all-out war on cartels. However, the U.S. has urged stronger measures, with President Donald Trump previously threatening unilateral military action in Mexico.
Any defamation case against Musk in the U.S. could prove difficult due to strong free speech protections. The billionaire was previously sued over a 2018 tweet in which he called a British rescue diver a «pedo guy,» but a U.S. jury ruled in his favour in 2019.
The latest clash highlights rising political tensions as Mexico grapples with cartel violence and international pressure over its security strategy.
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