Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum raises her fist at the end of her first state-of-the-nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)2025-09-01T19:25:09Z MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated her governments handling of its tumultuous relations with the Trump administration, progressive gains and controversial judicial reforms in her first state of the nation address Monday.Sheinbaum, who is nearing the end of her first year in office, notably left out some of the major problems still simmering in Mexico, including ongoing cartel violence plaguing much of the country and democratic concerns over wider concentration of executive power.Mexicos first female president took office in October and has led the Latin American nation of 131 million at a time of radical global shifts. Despite that, the 63-year-old progressive leader has enjoyed soaring approval rates between 70% and 80% in Mexican polls. Things are going well, and theyre only going to get better, she promised.Here are some of the top takeaways from Sheinbaums State of the Nation address. Navigating the Trump eraChief among Sheinbaums challenges has been navigating Mexicos inextricable political and economic relationship with the United States as President Donald Trump has doled out tariffs globally and pressured allies into making concessions. Sheinbaum has been able to dodge the brunt of Trumps tariffs by going after Mexican cartels and their fentanyl production more aggressively than her predecessor. In recent months, the government has delivered dozens of cartel figures long wanted by U.S. authorities to the Trump administration.At the same time, her administration has insisted that the Trump administration respect Mexican sovereignty, and has rejected talk of potential American military action against cartels in Mexican territory. Under no circumstance will we accept interventions, interference, or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the country, she said. On Monday, a day before Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to visit to discuss security issues, Sheinbaum said the governments share a relationship of mutual trust, respect for sovereignty and territoriality, and cooperation without subordination.Just weeks earlier, however, Trump told press: Mexico does what we tell them to do. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum delivers her first state-of-the-nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum delivers her first state-of-the-nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Drop in poverty and social programsThe president also highlighted major progressive gains made by her government and by her predecessor and ally, ex-President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador. Government data released last month showed that more than 8.3 million people in Mexico were pulled out of poverty between 2022 and 2024, something experts said was due in large part to social programs and the government raising the minimum wage. Direct money transfers ranging from scholarships to payments to Mexicos elderly have also gone to around 32 million families, about a quarter of the countrys population, Sheinbaum said.This is the most ambitious social plan in Mexicos history, she said.Carrying the legacy of AMLO Sheinbaum spent much of the speech explaining how she was carrying the legacy of her predecessor, a promise that got Sheinbaum elected last year, and underscoring the countrys strong economy. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum raises her fist at the end of her first state-of-the-nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum raises her fist at the end of her first state-of-the-nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The president listed a slew of construction projects in the works, including the continuation of Lpez Obradors crown jewel project, the Maya Train.Despite wider global economic uncertainty, she highlighted a strong economy in Mexico, including growing investment and a strong peso.She also nodded to a newly elected Supreme Court set to take office later Monday after Sheinbaum and Lpez Obradors Morena party overhauled the judicial system last year. She called it a profoundly democratic event. The judicial reform, which has judges elected, fueled concerns of democratic decay.Avoiding cartels and democratic concernsThe problems Mexico continues to wrestle with were notably absent from Sheinbaums speech.While she mentioned dipping homicide rates, she largely didnt comment on what most Mexicans see as their countrys main problem: cartel violence.Despite promises from Lpez Obrador that his social programs would dip conflict in the Latin American nation, violence in much of Mexico has only continued to rage on. Cartel warfare has fueled bloodshed in Sinaloa, as dead bodies pop up on the streets every morning and nearly 130,000 Mexicans remain missing. Sheinbaum also made little mention of wider democratic concerns attached to Mexicos judicial reform, which was jammed through by Morena last year, and set the stage for judicial elections in June. Critics warned that by popularly electing judges, the party was dealing a blow to checks and balances, by making it easier to get allies on top courts. The majority of those slated to take control of Mexicos Supreme Court on Monday are members or former members of the Morena party.The era of nepotism, corruption and privilege is over, and a new era of legality and justice for all is beginning, Sheinbaum said.Later Monday, Mexico introduced the new court. Hugo Aguilar, a lawyer who spent much of his career defending Indigenous rights, said during a ceremony that as the courts president he will work to give justice to those who have been excluded from the judicial apparatus. MEGAN JANETSKY Megan Janetsky covers migration, conflict, human rights and politics in Mexico and Central America for The AP based in Mexico City. Previously, she covered Cuba and the Caribbean for The AP and worked as freelance journalist in Colombia, reporting across South America. twitter instagram facebook mailto