Why Mexico Isn’t Panicking About Another Trump Presidency

On his path to the presidency, President-elect Donald J. Trump consistently made Mexico a target. He threatened extreme tariffs on the country’s exports to the United States and vowed to carry out mass deportations. He even challenged Mexican sovereignty by proposing military strikes against drug cartels there.

Those warnings would likely set off alarm bells in many countries. But Mexico’s leaders aren’t panicking — in fact, some of them see opportunity in Trump’s return to the White House, according to six current and former officials, some of whom were not authorized to speak publicly.

Mexico is banking on its ability to negotiate with a deal maker like Mr. Trump. And while the government is taking Mr. Trump’s threats seriously, and while there is concern over some of his cabinet nominees, the officials say the country is better prepared than it was during his first term.

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has said that her government “will look to contact President Trump’s transition team before he enters” the White House. The goal of those talks, officials say, would be to reach agreements on key issues ahead of the inauguration in January.

The Mexican government has spent months drawing up plans for dealing with everything from trade to security to the border, they said, in order to head off any potentially extreme proposals the new administration might consider.

“There’s no reason to worry,” Ms. Sheinbaum said the day after the U.S. election. “We will establish communication and good relations.”