“It’s always important to keep a cool head.” In today’s newsletter, we have a deep dive on Mexico’s first female President, a former activist and academic who has—so far—skillfully maneuvered the belligerent new Administration to the north. Plus:

The Mexican President Who’s Facing Off with Trump

Claudia Sheinbaum has been hailed among her constituents as “la nueva dama de hierro”—the new iron lady. As Donald Trump’s second term began, only four months into her own Presidency, she seemed determined to project quiet control, regardless of whatever tariff, or border emergency, or renamed gulf he threw at her country and its citizens. “We will always defend our sovereignty,” she told an audience at a January press conference. “It’s always important to keep a cool head.” And, as Stephania Taladrid reports in a thoughtful piece for this week’s issue, Sheinbaum has done exactly that, becoming a sharp observer of the American President’s behavior, deftly negotiating his tariff shenanigans, and letting him claim victory while reassuring her constituents that their interests come first. Opposition lawmakers have praised her serenity and firmness. But the tariff situation is tenuous, and political arbitration between the nations is ongoing. As she continues to balance Trump’s tumult and her own country’s needs, Sheinbaum could serve as a model for how to make a deal—as she says, “step by step.”

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