People’s Mañanera July 21

ByPedro Gellert

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

The Transformation Restores the Right to Healthcare
With a record investment of 181 billion pesos (US$10.40 billion), by 2030 Mexico will construct 50 new hospitals and expand 47 others, along with 55 replacements or remodelings, adding more than 9,000 beds.

Thirty projects have been completed and an additional 33 will be finished in 2026, expanding healthcare. The contrast is clear: in 36 years of neoliberalism, only 4,300 beds were added; since 2019, there are now around 5,700.

More than construction, what matters is attention to the population and access to healthcare, President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

Mexico Was the Best World Cup Host
Sheinbaum highlighted that thanks to the organization, security, and above all its people, Mexico shined before the world. “What was most important was the joy of the people of Mexico, which was transmitted to the entire world,” she said.

To Insult Our Migrants Is to Insult Mexico
The President condemned the call for ICE to move against Mexican nationals who went to greet her in New York, a message that was also spread by opposition business magnate Salinas Pliego. She called it “unheard of” and demanded an apology.

“This is not a question of the President; this is a matter of our compatriots,” Mexicans who work every day to support their families.

No Young Person Should See Crime as a Life Option
Sheinbaum reiterated that the Transformation’s security strategy starts with addressing root causes and preventing young people from being recruited to a life of crime.

She contrasted this vision with Calderón’s so-called “war on drugs,” in which criminals were normalized and glorified. The President was blunt, declaring that “getting close to one of these groups is getting close to death,” and she called on young people never to see crime as an option.

Cooperation Yes, Subordination No
In response to DEA statements, Sheinbaum rejected any pressure and reiterated that the United States must also take its responsibility for the drug crisis. “They should explain (things) as well,” she said.

The President said that the North Americans have “a lot of work” to do on their side of the border and reiterated reciprocity in security. Mexico fights drug trafficking and the United States must stop the trafficking of weapons into Mexico.