Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum threatens legal action against Elon Musk over ‘laughable’ cartel comments

Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has disclosed that she is considering legal action following a comment by Elon Musk that alleged she was connected to drug cartels.

Musk’s post on X followed the capture and k!lling of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio Oseguera, ‘El Mencho,’ by Mexican security forces.

In the post, Musk responded to a 2025 video of Sheinbaum discussing cartel violence and alleged that she was ‘saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say.’ He did not provide further evidence.

‘We are considering whether to take legal action,’ Sheinbaum said during her daily morning press conference, adding that government lawyers are reviewing the matter.

In the 2025 video, Sheinbaum said a return to a ‘war on drugs’ was not feasible.

‘Returning to the war on drugs is not an option … it is outside the framework of the law,’ she said.

The military offensive on cartels led by former President Felipe Calderon in 2006 led to bloody turf battles as gangs splintered, triggering a spiral of violence that many analysts see as a contributing cause to still-high homicide rates.

Sheinbaum said she expected security to continue to normalize in Mexico after cartel members coordinated a series of roadblocks and arson attacks following the government’s Sunday operation against Oseguera.

Asked if the operation marked a return to a more violent security stance, Sheinbaum said this would never be the case.

‘The detention of a suspected criminal with an arrest warrant can generate this type of circumstance, but we are looking for peace, not war,’ she said.