President Claudia Sheinbaum threatens to sue Elon Musk over cartel claim

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaun, in her daily morning press conference, threatened to sue the Tesla owner, billionaire Elon Musk, for his assertion that she is subjugated by the drug cartel. Elon Musk was making the comments in the wake of the capture and killing of Jalisco ‌New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," by Mexican authorities.

Musk made the comments in a post of President Claudia Sheinbaun arguing why an all-out war on drugs is not feasible. The video was from 2025, in which Sheinbaun said that the war on drugs, which is being professed and desired by the right wing in the guise of "rule of law", is against the law. As it means permission to kill without trial. One user commented on the post, “She’s a cartel plant, right?” Elon Musk replied to the user, “She’s just saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say.” Musk did not provide any further evidence to justify his allegations. He further added that “their punishment for disobedience is a little worse than a ‘performance improvement plan’”

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Sheinbaun told her reporters that she was “considering whether to take legal action." Elon Musk was making a big accusation, all while pushing misinformation on the massive platform he owns. The Mexican embassy responded to the video, “Context matters: the video being used is an old clip on legal theory, while yesterday’s operation was a massive strategic win." It called out the spread of misinformation in a recycled video. “Recycling outdated clips to distract from a major blow to organised crime is how misinformation spreads. Don’t let them spin a victory into a conspiracy.”

Mexican Defence Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo claimed that 80 per cent of the 25,000 weapons seized from the cartel since 2024 were from the United States. However, prosecution for civil defamation will be tough in the US, as Sheinbaun have to prove that Musk willfully said something false or recklessly disregarded the truth when he said it.