“No foreign power is going to tell us how to govern ourselves”: Sheinbaum

ByAnahí Del Ángel

This article by Anahí Del Ángel originally appeared on May 5, 2026 at Revista Contralínea.

At the ceremony commemorating the 164th anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that those who resisted the 1862 invasion left a lesson for the people of Mexico: “no foreign power is going to tell Mexicans how to govern ourselves”; therefore, she affirmed that those who seek support abroad and think that the president is kneeling, “are destined for defeat.”

In leading the event, the President sent a message to the defenders of foreign intervention in Mexico: “To those who today boast and defend interference, to those who applaud foreign television networks when they speak ill of Mexico; to them we say, with truth and justice: that those who seek external support for not having popular support in our country are destined for defeat.”

She added that this future awaits other sectors that forget Mexico’s history: “To those who revive the Conquest as salvation, we say: you are destined for defeat. To those who believe the people are foolish, you are destined for defeat. Those who seek to vindicate Hernán Cortés and his atrocities are destined for defeat. To those who hate, you are destined for moral defeat.”

As head of state, Sheinbaum Pardo stated that: “those who think that the President kneels: are destined for defeat,” and, invoking Benito Juárez after the triumph of the Republic over the Second Mexican Empire, she said: “the triumph of reaction is morally impossible.”

Regarding the relationship with the neighbouring country to the north, the head of the federal government recalled that, while it has been marked by moments of pressure, it has also had its exceptions, such as the relationship between Benito Juárez and Abraham Lincoln. “To our neighbors, to the United States, we say: let us remember the great moment in our relationship, […] the recognition of the Republic and the support for Juárez are among the most praiseworthy actions in our historic relationship.”

However, she indicated that, although those moments have supported the building of the bilateral relationship, there is one firm principle to uphold with any foreign government: “We are clear and emphatic: history tells us that the people of Mexico are never wrong when it comes to defending national sovereignty. Mexicans learned well the lesson taught to us by the liberals, the chinacos, the Juaristas, the Zacapoaxtlas, who resisted the invasion in 1862: no foreign power is going to tell Mexicans how to govern ourselves.”

President Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexicans possess distinct values ​​that they are prepared to defend, “ We are free, like the Indigenous people who fled to the mountains during the Conquest to preserve their right to organize themselves as they saw fit. We are a people who love their freedom, their independence, their sovereignty, and we are always ready to defend it. Freedom and independence are justice and sovereignty.”

The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces swore in 31,000 soldiers of the National Military Service and nearly 800 female volunteers, asking them not to forget that the battle of May 5, 1862 is a reminder that the history of Mexico is marked by resistance against foreign invasions and internal betrayals, which from conservatism have sought to subjugate the people and the homeland.

As part of the ceremony, the president laid a floral wreath at the mausoleum of General Ignacio Zaragoza. Afterward, she watched the civic-military parade led by Brigadier General Juan Ernesto Estrada González, commander of the 25th Military Zone and of the parade column.

For his part, the Secretary of National Defense, General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, stressed that the 1862 confrontation was a starting point for nationalism that strengthened identity and social cohesion.

In that context, he told the soldiers of the National Military Service who took their oath that Mexico needs loyal and honorable young people to defend its integrity, independence, and sovereignty.