Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded on Monday, September 7, from her X account to a map that U.S. President Donald Trump had published hours earlier on Truth Social. "Mexico is not and will not be a colony or protectorate of any foreign country," the president wrote, adding: "We are proudly a free, independent, and sovereign nation."
Trump shared the image that morning; in it, the colors of the U.S. flag cover Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, as CNN en Español reported. This is not the first time the U.S. president has proposed changes to the regional map since his second term began on January 20, 2025: he has raised the incorporation of Greenland, the possibility of Canada becoming the 51st state, and promoted the name Gulf of America in place of the Gulf of Mexico in federal agencies. Canada, Mexico, and Denmark have all rejected these ideas. For the Mexican community in North America, the episode once again raises questions about managing a trade and migration relationship in which Mexico asserts its autonomy.
Sheinbaum did not directly mention Trump or the map in her message, which was posted shortly after the president's publication and framed within Mexico's month of the homeland, according to Expansión Política. The president has said her government seeks a relationship of cooperation and respect with the United States on security, trade, and migration, without subordination; during her recent tour of Nuevo León she summarized that stance in a single phrase: "cooperation always, subordination never." On Tuesday, September 1, in her Second State of Government Report, she acknowledged that the bilateral relationship has faced difficulties and said she has chosen to always pursue understanding. The exchange also comes amid trade tension: the previous Friday, Trump said Mexico had little to offer the United States, with the exception of products such as spicy tamales and tomatoes, though he assured that the trade relationship would continue.
The White House had not yet responded to the president's message; CNN en Español requested comment and was awaiting a reply. The exchange takes place during the month of the homeland, when Sheinbaum has said Mexico reaffirms its sovereignty days ahead of the September 16 commemorations.
This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.