Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
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🌊 2-billion-peso sargassum investment: Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles announced the federal government will invest over 2 billion pesos to strengthen Mexico’s anti-sargassum strategy, with the Navy set to boost its at-sea collection capacity and install roughly 50 km of new barriers along the Caribbean coast.
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📈 Sheinbaum touts Q2 growth data: Responding to INEGI’s preliminary figures showing the economy grew 1.5% quarterly and 2.1% annually in Q2, Sheinbaum called it “very good news,” highlighting strong primary sector performance.
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⚖️ Sheinbaum backs INE ruling against PRI: After the INE ordered the PRI and its leader to stop calling the government a “narcogobierno” and Morena a “narcopartido,” Sheinbaum said she was satisfied with the ruling, saying it’s good that the INE is fulfilling its role of ensuring the political contest is conducted “with facts.”
Why today’s mañanera matters
Combating Mexico’s sargassum problem — which is concentrated along the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo and is a substantial deterrent to tourism — was a key focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference.
In 2026, particularly large quantities of the smelly seaweed have reached Quintana Roo beaches and coastal waters, making today’s announcement of a large investment to strengthen the government’s anti-sargassum strategy especially significant.
Also of note at today’s mañanera was Sheinbaum’s acknowledgement of the latest economic growth data, which provided further evidence of a recovering Mexican economy, and her response to a National Electoral Institute (INE) ruling regarding the use of the words narcopartido (narco-party) and narcogobierno (narco-government).
Navy Minister announces 2 billion peso investment to bolster anti-sargassum strategy
Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles announced that the federal government will invest more than 2 billion pesos (US $115.2 million) to strengthen its anti-sargassum strategy.
He said that the money will be invested in two stages.
Morales said the Navy has instructions from Sheinbaum to spend 768.7 million pesos in the first stage this year in order to increase its capacity to collect sargassum at sea to 1,870 tonnes per day from a current capacity of 1,227 tonnes per day.
The Navy has already purchased two new tugboats as well as six sargassum-collecting vessels known as sargaceros, he said. The Navy is also going to install around 50 kilometers of new anti-sargassum barriers at sea along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. He said they will be installed in “the most critical areas,” including Playa del Carmen, Cancún, Tulum, Puerto Morelos and Mahahual.
In the second stage of investment in 2027, the Navy will aim to increase its sargassum-collecting capacity to 4,000 tonnes per day. Morales said the Navy will purchase more sargassum-collecting vessels and install more anti-sargassum barriers. He also said that money will also be used to acquire more equipment to collect sargassum on beaches.
According to the information he presented, Mexican authorities and the private sector — including hotel employees — currently have the capacity to collect 2,177 tonnes of sargassum per day at sea and on beaches.
Sheinbaum acknowledges positive economic growth data
A reporter asked the president about preliminary data published by the national statistics agency INEGI on Thursday that showed that the Mexican economy grew 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the previous quarter and 2.1% on an annual basis.
“Very good news,” Sheinbaum responded.
She noted that Mexico’s primary sector performed particularly well in the second quarter, expanding 3.3% on a sequential basis and 7.3% annually.
“The primary sector has to do with agriculture, mining,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the industry’s growth is related to greater production “in volume” and higher prices, “in particular” for gold and silver.
“The primary sector increased significantly and the tertiary sector as well, which is services,” she said.
“… In the case of manufacturing, which was declining a bit, the drop was practically contained,” Sheinbaum said.
The tertiary sector expanded 1.5% in Q2 compared to the previous quarter and 2.5% on an annual basis. The secondary sector grew 1.6% between April and June compared to Q1 and 0.8% annually.
Sheinbaum responds to INE ruling against the PRI
A reporter noted that the INE on Wednesday ordered the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and its national president, Senator Alejandro Moreno, to remove from social media posts in which they use the word narcogobierno to refer to the federal government and narcopartido to refer to the ruling Morena party.
In a post to the X social media site on Wednesday, Moreno acknowledged that INE’s Complaints Commission had “decided unanimously to ban me from describing MORENA as a NARCOPARTIDO and ordered me to remove from my social media accounts, and those of @PRI_Nacional, posts in which I referred to it in that way.”
URGENTE, A LA OPINIÓN PÚBLICA:
Hace unos momentos, la Comisión de Quejas y Denuncias del @INEMexico decidió, por unanimidad, prohibirme calificar a MORENA de NARCOPARTIDO y ordenó retirar de mis redes y de las del @PRI_Nacional los mensajes en los que la señalé de esa manera.… pic.twitter.com/EyhfKuvM1A
— Alejandro Moreno (@alitomorenoc) July 29, 2026
“This ruling strengthens censorship, limits political criticism, and protects MORENA, while Mexico continues to suffer violence, territorial control by organized crime, and impunity that grows every day,” he added.
For her part, Sheinbaum expressed satisfaction with the INE’s ruling.
She said that the INE has the responsibility to ensure that “the political contest” between parties is conducted “with facts.”
“… I think it’s good that the INE is fulfilling its role,” Sheinbaum said.
A U.S. indictment unsealed in late April accuses various Morena party politicians, including Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, of drug trafficking in league with the Sinaloa Cartel. Rocha, who took leave as governor of Sinaloa, and other officials have rejected the charges.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
