Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday she was considering legal action following comments by tech billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who claimed she had ties to a drug cartel.
Musk’s post on the X social network followed the arrest and killing of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartel, Nemesia Oseguera “El Mencha,” by Mexican security forces.
In the post, Musk responded to a 2025 video of Sheinbaum talking about cartel violence and said she was “saying what the cartel bosses tell her to say.” Musk did not provide additional evidence.
“We are considering whether to file a lawsuit,” Sheinbaum said during a regular morning press conference, adding that government lawyers are reviewing the case.
Legal obstacles
Sheinbaum may have difficulty suing Musk for defamation in the United States because of strong legal protections for free speech. To win such a lawsuit, she would need to prove that Musk knowingly misrepresented her or that he recklessly disregarded the truth when making the allegations.
Tesla, Musk’s automaker, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sheinbaum’s statement.
Answer and context
In a video statement from 2025, Sheinbaum said a return to the “war on drugs” was not possible.
– Returning to the war against drugs is not an option… it is outside the scope of the law – she stated.
A military offensive against the cartels, led by former President Felipe Calderon in 2006, led to bloody clashes as gangs shot at each other, which many analysts see as one of the reasons for the country’s still high homicide rates.
Sheinbaum added that she expects security in Mexico to continue to normalize, after cartel members coordinated a series of blockades and arson attacks following the government’s Sunday operation against Oseguera.
Asked if the operation marked a return to more violent security policies, Sheinbaum said that would never be the case.
– The arrest of a suspected criminal with a warrant can cause such circumstances, but we are looking for peace, not war – she stated.
The president of the ruling MORENA party, Luisa Alcalde, also reacted to the post on social media, saying that Musk should use his platform and the X network to fight drug consumption, addiction, misinformation and stop the promotion of drug culture.
– Wealth does not give moral authority – she said.
– The lives lost in this struggle, often fueled by consumption in other countries, are worth infinitely more than any wealth acquired in Silicon Valley – she added.
More than 130,000 people have disappeared in Mexico, and the vast majority of violence in the country is related to drug cartels that produce, sell and purchase weapons from the United States.
(Vijesti.ba)
