Mexico's First Female President: Sheinbaum's First Year Navigating a Tumultuous Landscape

MEXICO CITY – Hey, let's talk about Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum is almost a year into her term, and man, what a ride it's been! She's Mexico's first female president – a really big deal. As October 2025 rolls around, she's got some wins to celebrate: pushing ahead with social programs and keeping the economy strong. She's even doing a careful dance with the U.S. It's especially tricky now with a certain familiar face back in American politics.

But here's the honest truth. While Sheinbaum highlights the good things – and yes, there are good things – many Mexicans feel like she's sidestepping some massive problems. We're talking about cartel violence that just won't quit. And don't forget those controversial new judicial reforms. These aren't just news stories; they're shaping daily life and the very future of democracy for 131 million people. It's a super tough balancing act for Sheinbaum: keep people happy with social help, but deal with serious issues bubbling right below the surface.

Walking the Tightrope: Mexico, the US, and Trump's Return

Okay, let's zoom in on the U.S. Mexico's relationship with its northern neighbor? It's been a massive deal for Sheinbaum. Especially now that Donald Trump is back in the White House (yep, we're talking about a hypothetical 2025 here). Things get unpredictable with him, right? It's always about deals and demands.

So, what did Sheinbaum's team do? Reuters reported they got smart. To dodge new U.S. tariffs, they seriously ramped up the fight against Mexican cartels, especially the ones making fentanyl. They even sent some big-shot cartel leaders over to the U.S. That seemed to cool things off for a bit.

But even with those moves, Sheinbaum isn't backing down when it comes to Mexico's independence. She's made it crystal clear: no U.S. military on Mexican soil. In her own words: "Under no circumstance will we accept interventions, interference, or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the country." Pretty strong words. A real statement.

It's a delicate dance, for sure. She's making progress, but it's a constant balancing act. Remember what her U.S. counterpart reportedly said, as NBC News covered? "Mexico does what we tell them to do." That one quote tells you a whole lot about the pressure she's facing.

Helping Hands: Sheinbaum's Plan for People

Back home, Sheinbaum's main goal is pretty simple: lift people out of poverty. This isn't totally new; it's a big part of what her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), started. But she's massively expanded those social programs.

And guess what? It's actually working!

• The Scoop: Government numbers from CONEVAL (Mexico's social development council) in late 2024 showed over 8.3 million Mexicans climbed out of poverty between 2022 and 2024. Talk about a huge win!
• How'd they do it? Mostly thanks to:
  • Higher minimum wages.
  • Direct cash payments.

Sheinbaum calls it "the most ambitious social plan in Mexico's history." These direct payments – things like student scholarships and pensions for the elderly – are reaching about 32 million families. That's almost a quarter of Mexico's entire population! Think about that impact.

This focus on helping people isn't just a Mexico thing, either. The World Bank pointed out in a recent report that other Latin American countries are also pouring money into social safety nets. Their reason? To fix the economic mess the pandemic left behind.

Building a Future (and Changing the Rules)

It's not just about social programs, though. Sheinbaum's team also keeps talking about Mexico's strong economy. Even with all the global money worries in 2024 and early 2025, Mexico is holding its own:

• More foreign investment is flowing in.
• The peso is strong.
• Big projects, like the controversial Maya Train (which AMLO kicked off), are still moving ahead. It’s all about proving Mexico is on the rise.

But wait, there’s another huge part of AMLO’s legacy Sheinbaum is pushing: a massive overhaul of the justice system. Back in June 2025, judges were actually elected by popular vote. Sheinbaum, of course, called this a "profoundly democratic event."

Here’s the big catch, though. By September 2025, the Supreme Court was full of judges who were members or former members of her ruling Morena party. Critics? They're screaming bloody murder about this. Human Rights Watch, for instance, warned that letting people vote for judges could seriously mess with the independence of the courts. It basically hands the executive branch way too much power. Think about it: no real checks and balances if the ruling party gets to pick the judges. That's a problem.

The Elephant in the Room: Violence and Power Grabs

So, Sheinbaum's big speech painted a really rosy picture, didn't it? But it totally skipped over some brutal realities that are just part of Mexico. She barely even mentioned homicide rates, let alone the true crisis: the constant, terrifying cartel violence that never stops.

Human rights groups, like the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, keep shouting the truth: crime often goes unpunished, and the human cost? It's just staggering.

Just think about this:

• Places like Sinaloa? They're still seeing daily discoveries of bodies.
• Nationwide, nearly 130,000 people are missing. And that number just keeps climbing, says Mexico's National Search Commission.

This isn't just a statistic; it's a human tragedy. And it’s a far cry from those promises Sheinbaum and AMLO made, saying social programs would fix the conflict. A very far cry.

And that judicial reform we talked about? While Sheinbaum paints it as a big win for democracy, critics are seriously worried. They're warning it could tear down Mexico's democratic foundations altogether. When one party has all the power in the legislature and gets to pick the judges through popular vote? Many see it as a dangerous slide towards authoritarianism. It’s basically letting the ruling party handpick who's in charge of justice and grab even more control. Talk about a power grab!