‘Divorce is not an option’: U.S., Mexico reset relations in post-Trump era, even as AMLO pokes at Biden

Only days into President Joe Biden’s White House tenure, leaders in Mexico and the U.S. are looking to reset a relationship that’s not only fundamental to America’s foreign policy, but also critical to Texas’ economy, security and culture. The reboot is not just about moving beyond former President Donald Trump, the Republican who delighted in bullying Mexico over everything from immigration to trade to border security. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — who enjoyed a good working relationship with Trump despite many policy differences — also has complicated relations in recent months by showing an unmistakable frostiness toward Biden. The Mexican president stood out as one of the last foreign leaders in the world to congratulate the Democrat on his victory. “That was just foolish,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, calling the snub “unfortunate.”

AMLO, as he’s known, has further mystified and frustrated some officials with more substantive action. He’s raised hackles in the U.S. of late, for instance, by signing a law to restrict American drug agents in Mexico and lashing out against U.S. officials who accused the former Mexican defense secretary of working with a Mexican drug cartel. While some posit that López Obrador, elected in 2018, is simply trying to ward off the new U.S. administration from meddling in Mexico’s messy internal affairs, political and business leaders on both sides of the border are now seeking to smooth over a rocky transition. The nature of the relationship demands it. Martha Bárcena, the outgoing Mexican ambassador to the U.S., described the two countries as “an old married couple that has to find a way of always learning to get along.” Bárcena, who will leave her post next month, added that “divorce is not an option.” “There will be ups and downs, but we will have to get along,” said the ambassador, who will be replaced by Esteban Moctezuma, a former senator who was Mexico’s education secretary. “But at the end of the day, we must get along, find common interest, take the high ground.”