'Let the Other Trump Return': Former Mexican President López Obrador's Message to the White House

MEXICO CITY — Former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has published an extraordinary political letter defending President Claudia Sheinbaum, criticizing what he described as interventionist actions by some U.S. officials and offering an unexpected assessment of President Donald Trump: that the current occupant of the White House is not the same leader he worked with during Trump's first term.

The five-page document, dated June 3 and signed from López Obrador's ranch in Palenque, Chiapas, comes as relations between Washington and Mexico face renewed strains over immigration, cartel violence, tariffs, and recent U.S. investigations involving Mexican political figures.

In the letter, López Obrador offers his "unconditional support" to Sheinbaum and argues that criticism and pressure from the United States are motivated less by security concerns than by political interests.

"Some officials in the United States are plotting to weaken Morena and strengthen the right-wing opposition in Mexico," López Obrador wrote, accusing unnamed figures in Washington of seeking the return of a government that would be more accommodating to U.S. interests.

The former president also mounted a vigorous defense of Sheinbaum's leadership, describing her as "efficient, responsible, prudent and respectful."

"In essence, through her actions and accomplishments, she has become the best president of Mexico in our time," he wrote.

A surprisingly warm view of Trump

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the document is López Obrador's treatment of Trump.

While sharply criticizing current U.S. policies toward Mexico, AMLO repeatedly praised his working relationship with Trump during the Republican leader's first administration.

According to López Obrador, Trump respected Mexican sovereignty, worked constructively on trade issues and maintained a productive dialogue despite occasional disagreements.

"He did not speak badly of Mexicans and did not mention the wall," López Obrador wrote, referring to the period when both leaders were in office.

He also recalled Trump's decision to support Mexico's request to review evidence in the case against former Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos after the Mexican government challenged the allegations.

López Obrador further claimed that Trump once accepted his advice not to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, warning that such a move could eventually justify extraterritorial actions by U.S. authorities.

'The Trump of today is different'

While praising the Trump he knew, López Obrador said he is puzzled by what he sees as a dramatic shift in the president's approach toward Mexico.

"The Trump of today is different from the one I dealt with," he wrote.

The former president rejected the idea that changing circumstances alone explain the shift. Instead, he suggested Trump has become increasingly influenced by advisers whom he described as resentful, fanatical and disconnected from statesmanship.

"I attribute Trump's surprising change to false friends and advisers, both domestic and foreign, who have led him into vile and sinister adventures," López Obrador wrote.

The comments come at a moment when some figures within the Trump administration have simultaneously increased pressure on Mexico while also praising Sheinbaum's cooperation on security issues.

Just hours before the publication of the letter drew attention, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly said Sheinbaum's government had "impressed" U.S. officials with its willingness to cooperate against organized crime, calling the administration more collaborative than its predecessor.

'Let the other Trump return'

The most memorable line in the document appears in its closing paragraphs.

López Obrador said he hopes Trump abandons the influence of advisers who have encouraged confrontation and instead returns to the governing style he displayed during his first term.

"I hope President Trump rectifies his course," he wrote.

Then, in a phrase likely to attract attention on both sides of the border, he concluded:

"For the good of everyone, let the other Trump return."

The letter offers a rare glimpse into López Obrador's thinking after leaving office and underscores his continuing influence within Mexico's governing movement.

It also creates a political paradox. At a moment when many Democrats in the United States remain among Trump's fiercest critics, Mexico's former leftist president is openly arguing that the version of Trump he worked with was preferable to the one currently occupying the White House.

Whether the message resonates in Washington remains to be seen. But it is certain to fuel debate about the future of U.S.-Mexico relations, Sheinbaum's growing international standing and the evolving political legacy of both López Obrador and Trump.