Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexico reviewing legal action against Elon Musk

Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY Tue, February 24, 2026 at 7:59 PM UTC

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo said her government is considering legal action after billionaire Elon Musk said drug cartels control her administration.

In a Feb. 24 news conference, Sheinbaum called Musk’s allegations, presented without evidence on his social media platform X, absurd. Sheinbaum’s comments come days after Mexican officials said armed forces killed wanted drug lord Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, during a Feb. 22 military operation in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

1 / 0Photos show Mexico unrest after cartel leader 'El Mencho' killed

After Mexican officials announced a powerful Mexican cartel leader was killed during a military operation on Sunday, several regions of the country are grappling with ongoing security risks and unrest.Police officers secure the area where vehicles were set on fire by organized crime members to block a road following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Zapopan, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026.

“We are considering whether we take legal action,” Sheinbaum, a member of the left-leaning MORENA party, told reporters. “The lawyers are reviewing it. But the truth is what matters to me is what the people say.”

On his platform, Musk, a right-wing ally of President Donald Trump, on Feb. 23 said Sheinbaum was “just saying what her cartel bosses tell her to say.” Musk, whose net worth is more than $840 billion, was responding to a 2025 video in which Sheinbaum said returning to a war on drugs wasn't an option.

“Let’s just say that their punishment for disobedience is a little worse than a ‘performance improvement plan’ …” his X post said.

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Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference about the wave of violence in Mexico, following the killing of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as 'El Mencho', in a military operation on Sunday, at Palacio Nacional, in Mexico City, Mexico, February 23, 2026. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha

Press contacts for Musk's companies, including Tesla and Space X, didn't respond to requests for comment.

Sheinbaum said claims of a “narcogobierno,” or a government controlled by drug traffickers, were “absurd.”

“I don’t know how they make this stuff up,” she said. “It makes me laugh reading this from the commentators.”

Mexican officials said the military operation to apprehend Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, came with help from American military intelligence. In the aftermath, Mexican officials have tried to regain control in parts of the country after armed groups began public displays of violence, including shootouts and blockades of roadways in several states.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexico considers legal action against Musk's cartel claims

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