By David Alire Garcia
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's president emphasized on Tuesday that she will defend her nation's sovereignty and independence but also pursue dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump, a day after he began his new term with a flurry of orders, including measures to curb immigration.
In her first comments following Trump's inauguration, President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that some of his initial announcements closely resemble actions he took in his previous term, as she also sought to reassure Mexicans that she will strenuously defend their interests.
"Regarding the decrees that President Donald Trump signed yesterday, I would like to say the following: The people of Mexico can be sure that we will always defend our sovereignty and our independence," she said, flanked by her foreign and interior ministers.
"It's always important to have a cool head," added Sheinbaum.
The leftist leader, who took office last October, notably refrained from issuing her own tariff threats on imports from the United States in response to Trump's suggestion a day earlier that he could apply an across-the-board 25% duty on Mexican goods beginning in February. Sheinbaum limited her response to saying she will respond "step by step."
In the past, Sheinbaum and her economy minister have suggested Mexico would have to retaliate in kind if the new U.S. government slapped duties on its exports.
Around 80% of Mexican exports go to the United States, the world's biggest economy.
In a response to Trump's initial moves to halt unlawful migration, Sheinbaum said her government will attend to the needs of migrants in a "humanitarian" way, even as she also pledged to repatriate foreign migrants to their home nations.
She said negotiations, including with Washington, will determine who foots the bill.
Trump is expected to sign more executive orders in his second day in office, following measures issued on Monday to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
At her regular morning press conference, Sheinbaum noted that while Trump signed an executive order declaring illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border as a national emergency, she will insist on respectful relations and avoid confrontations.
She also reiterated that her government would seek coordination on security and other matters with its northern neighbor, and that the USMCA North American trade pact is set for review in 2026, not before then.
The peso briefly reduced its losses during Sheinbaum's much-anticipated remarks to reporters, although the currency later returned to earlier levels, performing the worst in a basket of global reference currencies.
Julio Ruiz, chief economist for Mexico with multinational investment bank Citigroup (NYSE:C), described Sheinbaum's initial reaction to the start of Trump's new term as an attempt to separate concrete actions from political rhetoric.
"What Sheinbaum is trying to do is try to calm things down," he said.
"One thing is what's already signed, and another is these casual comments. You have to distinguish between those two things, and I think what she's trying to do is give that message to the market and to the population in general."