Mexico Weighs Legal Action Against Elon Musk Over Claims Linking President to Drug Cartels
The Mexican government is considering possible legal action against US billionaire Elon Musk after he alleged that President Claudia Sheinbaum is connected to drug cartels.
Speaking at a press conference in Mexico City on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said government lawyers are reviewing Musk’s comments to determine whether legal steps should be taken.
“We are considering whether to pursue some kind of legal action. The lawyers are reviewing it. But what matters to me is what the people say, and the vast majority of the public recognizes the work of the armed forces and the work we are doing every day,” she said.
Musk made the remarks on his social media platform X, claiming the Mexican leader was “just saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say,” after a video resurfaced showing Sheinbaum criticising US operations against suspected drug boats.
The controversy comes amid heightened tensions following a major military operation that led to the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” the longtime leader of the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG). The operation triggered a wave of violence in several parts of the country.
Sheinbaum dismissed Musk’s comments, stressing that public opinion in Mexico remains her government’s priority. “What matters to us is the Mexican people — their opinion, their recognition, their criticism. Listening to them and always responding, especially to the most vulnerable,” she said.
Since the rise of the ruling Morena party in 2018 and the election of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (popularly known as AMLO), Mexico has pursued a security strategy that shifted away from direct military confrontation with organised crime. The approach, often summarised by AMLO’s slogan “hugs, not bullets,” was designed to move away from the aggressive “war on drugs” launched in 2006 under former president Felipe Calderón.
Critics of the Morena government have repeatedly attacked this strategy, accusing it of enabling cartel influence and failing to curb violence. Both AMLO and now Sheinbaum have faced persistent allegations from political opponents of being soft on organised crime.
Responding to the latest accusations, Sheinbaum strongly rejected claims of a “narco-government,” describing them as baseless and absurd.
“This claim collapses under its own weight. They don’t even know what to invent anymore. Honestly, it’s almost laughable to read it,” she said.
The Mexican government says the recent operation against CJNG resulted in the deaths of 30 alleged cartel members, along with 25 National Guard officers and a prison guard, underscoring, it argues, its ongoing efforts to confront organised crime.
