I am quite proud of the fact — especially in this day and age — that I have friends on both sides of the political aisle. I find that it is increasingly rare that people from opposing sides of politics can even be near each other — let alone be friends or have a meaningful conversation. This is most certainly a sad state of affairs. It didn’t used to be this way, and in countless conversations with both Democrats and Republicans, I do feel that blame can be placed on both sides.
That being said, I have witnessed something very intriguing this past year that began slowly and has only increased with each passing month. Almost every single Republican I have spoken to over the past year, no matter how far right they are, for the most part has nothing but great things to say about Mexico’s president. Think about that for a moment. At a time when political polarization in the U.S. is at extreme levels, when there is increasingly little if any common ground being found on issues, when respect for the other side is at embarrassingly low levels, there is widespread respect and admiration from Sheinbaum.
So why is that? In countless conversations with Republican friends, I can boil it down to 7 key areas:
1. Professional Demeanor. In politics, as in life, how you look, act and dress matters a lot. Sheinbaum always looks and dresses sharp. She always looks professional. She has a magnetic smile and carries herself with elegance. She exudes class.
2. Education. This is a funny one. Although she graduated from Berkeley — a university not exactly associated with right-leaning political ideology — people are willing to look past that. Why? Having an undergraduate degree in physics matters to people. Having a Ph.D. matters to people. Being a scientist matters to people. Being part of a team that won a Nobel Peace Prize matters to people. She clearly is very intelligent and worked hard to achieve the level of academic success few reach.
3. Hard work ethic. Sheinbaum works tirelessly. She is always active and her every move is covered on government social media sites. Every weekday morning she has a press conference at 7:30 a.m. for 60-90 minutes. Imagine preparing for a press conference to take any question on any topic as well as do a deep dive presentation on a given topic every single day! Every weekend she hits the road or the skies, traveling to different cities and states around the country to meet with people and do massive rallies to connect with Mexicans of all economic levels. She is visible. She is present. She is a constant cheerleader for the country. And people like and respect that.
4. She walks the walk and talks the talk. In an age where many people have become completely cynical about politicians being corrupt — from insider trading to nepotism to closed-door fundraisers to access to billionaires’ private jets, few people believe that politicians actually do what they say. Sheinbaum has won admiration and respect by living a simple life, even as president. She — as did her predecessor — eschewed the presidential palace to live in a small apartment in the National Palace. She very often is seen being driven around in modest SUV’s on her weekend road trips. On two of her international trips, to Brazil for the G20 meeting and then to Canada for a G7 meeting, she flew commercial airlines — in economy class!
5. She has embraced the business community. Often times, political rhetoric from the left leaves the business community feeling alienated. Correct or not, the business community often feels that some politicians on the left view them solely as a force that must be constrained or a source of income that must be extracted. They feel that there is not an appreciation or respect for the jobs that are created, taxes that are paid, or soft power that is projected through their efforts. Sheinbaum, unlike her predecessor, was quick to publicly embrace the business community. She created a business advisory council and named a successful, well-known business leader, Altagracia Gómez, to lead it. Every Thursday she dedicates her morning press conferences to business and the economy, and often has members of the business community presenting and sharing updates on new investments or initiatives. Her secretary of the economy, Marcelo Ebrard, was a very respected leader in the business community and led Mexico in the previous round of the USMCA negotiations during the first Trump presidency.
6. She has taken some real tangible actions against the cartels and in the drug trade. No reasonable person expects her to solve these issues overnight, but she has made high profile arrests, handed over criminals to the U.S., worked with the DEA, sent troops to the border, shut down fentanyl labs, and recently announced a security agreement with the United States. She has shown a dramatic difference from her predecessor in her level of understanding of the significance of the problem to the U.S. and demonstrated sincerity in her willingness to solve it.
Mexico’s Sheinbaum gives a masterclass on managing Trump: A perspective from our CEO
7. She has put on a masterclass in how to work with Trump. My friends respect that she has learned how to work with Trump. She has demonstrated patience and restraint. She has focused on data, dialogue and the mutual benefits of free trade rather than threatening to respond to Trump’s tariffs. She has maintained her professionalism as she has drawn red lines that cannot be crossed with respect to Mexico’s sovereignty. I have often heard that she has been the best example of a politician working under the pressure of the Trump administration. This is especially admirable given how dependent the Mexican economy is on the U.S., which puts her at a significant disadvantage in negotiations.
So what can Democrats learn from all of this? A lot! At the risk of getting skewered by my Democratic friends, I think there are four key learnings from Sheinbaum that the U.S. left should consider.
1. Engaging in “an eye for an eye” politics with a leader like Trump is a losing strategy. He excels at that style of engagement, and it is nearly impossible to beat him at his own game. Overcoming a political opponent by simply mirroring their tactics rarely works.
2. Creating an adversarial relationship with the business community is a losing strategy. Especially when there is a much larger economic war that must be won against China. Like it or not, the choice we are left with is to embrace our business community and try to influence the actions we want from them, or accept an increasing level of Chinese influence and dominance across the business spectrum.
3. The professionalism and perception of a candidate’s demeanor and background matters — often more than policy ideas. For example, some voters may agree with the policy ideas of certain politicians, but find their public persona to be a barrier. A candidate like Bernie Sanders might have some good policy ideas, but many people are deterred by the perception that he is an “angry socialist.” Elizabeth Warren might have some good policy ideas, but her tone is often perceived as lecturing. AOC might be a dynamic speaker, but many people focus on her prior career as a bartender as a shorthand for her perceived lack of experience. I am not making personal judgements on these politicians, but to ignore people’s perceptions has proven to be a mistake.
4. Walking the walk and talking the talk matters. Nobody likes a hypocrite, and politicians whose actions appear to contradict their words risk losing public trust — especially when they criticize others for similar behavior. When a political party’s messaging focuses on inequality or critiques the wealthy, certain actions can create a powerful perception of hypocrisy, whether justified or not. Voters notice things like Nancy Pelosi’s stock trading, Bernie Sanders taking private jets, Hunter Biden getting lucrative consulting jobs, or prominent party members like the Clintons, the Obamas, or Kamala Harris enjoying a lavish lifestyle with the same wealthy class their rhetoric often targets. Al Gore faced criticism for talking about the threats of global warming while flying around the world in private jets to attend conferences. While politicians on both sides of the aisle face this kind of scrutiny, when a party’s core message is about championing the common person against powerful interests, these perceptions of hypocrisy can be especially damaging.
We live in interesting political times. A day doesn’t go by in which I don’t feel a mix of fear, anxiety, stress and concern about the state of politics in the world. But there are glimmers of hope. There are politicians that provide inspiration. There are times when the political divide is crossed to make progress. We all just have to work harder at making it work, be more open minded to what the other side is saying, and learn what we can from examples like President Sheinbaum.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
