The Mexicans Who Kneel Before Trump

This article by Álvaro Delgado Gómez appeared in the July 29, 2025 edition of Sin Embargo.

Juan Manuel Oliva Ramírez, the former PAN governor of Guanajuato, is a short, dark-skinned man who doesn’t speak English—the prototype of the Mexicans the United States despises, attacks, and deports. But this man, a sworn member of the secret far-right organization El Yunque, admires Donald Trump and is building México Republicano, a political party based on the ideology of the racist president of that country that hates us.

It sounds like a joke, but it’s not: Oliva Ramírez is the Organization Secretary of the emerging party headed by former PRI member Juan Iván Peña Neder, whose general secretary is Gricha Raether, spokesperson for the Democratic Party in Mexico for several years, and the party’s “general advisor” is Larry Rubin, representative of the Republican Party in our country and president of the American Society, which brings together US business leaders.

These two American politicians, representing both US parties, claim they are not violating the Mexican Constitution, which provides in Article 33 that “foreigners may not interfere in any way in the political affairs of the country,” because they are also Mexicans, having dual nationality.

But two weeks ago, on Saturday, July 12, Larry Rubin, as president of the American Society, organized a dinner in honor of that country’s new Ambassador, Roland Johnson, a retired colonel and CIA agent involved in armed invasions of other countries. This event was sponsored by magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego and brought together prominent figures from the right in Mexico, such as former electoral advisor Lorenzo Córdova, PAN members Jorge Romero and Ricardo Anaya, former foreign minister José Ángel Gurría, and José Medina Mora, former national leader of the party of the bosses.

And that night, Larry Rubin’s speech was in defense of Trump, who had sent a letter to President Claudia Sheinbaum the day before, and against Mexico, of which he calls himself a national. He insolently endorsed the threat of imposing 30 percent tariffs on Mexican products starting this Friday, August 1, because she hasn’t eliminated the cartels that manufacture the drugs consumed by millions of his compatriots.

“The letter sent from the White House to the President of Mexico underscores the urgency of the moment. It’s not a threat, it’s a strategic warning. The 30 percent tariff that could be applied starting August 1 is a direct consequence of the lack of effective action on issues that impact not only trade but also the health and national security of the United States and Mexico,” Rubin said, in a message and tone that sounded like an American, not a Mexican.

Obviously, representatives of Mexico’s right wing didn’t object to Larry Rubin’s rude and meddling threat, united in the end by the same conservative ideology. Neither did [Morena] Environment Secretary Andrea Bárcena, who was present and seated next to PANista Ricardo Anaya, who fled to the United States for years, where his children have lived and studied. Also silent were Morena deputies and senators, such as Sergio Mayer, Emmanuel Reyes, Waldo Fernández, and Yeidckol Polevski, who were also invited.

So far, no one from the Mexican government, not even President Sheinbaum herself, has commented on this provocative dinner, which reveals whose interests México Republicano will defend if it meets the legal requirements to become a political party. But even if it doesn’t, we are facing open interference by Americans in Mexican affairs, supported by Mexicans who are even capable of endorsing a US military invasion of Mexico under the pretext of drug trafficking, a real possibility since that country designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.

I myself asked Gricha Raether, secretary general of Republican Mexico, whether he would opt for Mexico or the United States in the event of an invasion: “I opt for the rule of law. I opt for a North America free of terrorism. I opt for peace and order in Mexico, no matter what.”

Yes: There is another far-right political party project that submits to the United States, Viva México, led by actor Eduardo Verástegui, a self-confessed follower of Trump and his aggressive policies toward Mexico, who should also be kept an eye on.

The history of Mexico, as we know, records episodes of Mexicans who surrender to foreign invaders, which is why treason still exists in the Federal Penal Code, a crime committed by anyone who carries out acts against the independence, sovereignty or integrity of the Mexican Nation with the purpose of subjecting it to a foreign person, group or government, or who takes part in acts of hostility against the Nation, through military actions on the orders of a foreign State or cooperates with it in any way that could harm Mexico.

There are other behaviors that constitute the crime of treason: Anyone who is part of armed groups led or advised by foreigners, organized inside or outside the country, when their purpose is to attack the independence of the Republic, its sovereignty, its freedom, or its territorial integrity, or to invade the national territory, even when there has been no declaration of war, or who has, in times of peace or war, a relationship or intelligence with a foreign person, group, or government, or gives them instructions, information, or advice, with the purpose of guiding a possible invasion of the national territory or disturbing internal peace.

Therefore, it is necessary to reaffirm our convictions: in the face of Trump and his invasive ambitions, supported by Mexicans from the extreme right, let no one forget Mexico’s history.