Exchange of words between Sheinbaum and Ayuso after her visit to Mexico: from Hernán Cortés to the comparison with Venezuela

The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has hardened her discourse against the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, by assuring that Mexico is “two steps away from reaching the path of Venezuela” due, she affirmed, to the “control of justice institutions”, insecurity and drug trafficking. In an interview on 'Telecinco', the leader of the Partido Popular also questioned the treatment received during her institutional visit to the Latin American country. “She has been having a terrible time for a few days and I don't know, when she comes to Spain, it doesn't occur to anyone to give her that reception,” she stated.

Ayuso's statements come after Sheinbaum publicly criticized the presence of the Madrid president in Mexico and her meetings with conservative Mexican sectors. The Mexican leader this week lashed out against “the international right and the Mexican right” and questioned that some leaders seek political legitimacy alongside Ayuso. “How do they think a person who adores Hernán Cortés in Mexico is going to give them legitimacy? Well, they are a bit out of touch”, declared Sheinbaum during a public appearance.

The political clash intensified after several events in which Ayuso vindicated miscegenation and the shared historical legacy between Spain and Mexico. Sheinbaum responded harshly to those messages and stated that “those who vindicate Hernán Cortés and his atrocities are destined for defeat”, in a clear reference to the speeches delivered by the Madrid leader during her visit. 

During the interview, Ayuso insisted that Mexico is going through a "very complicated" situation, marked by violence and disappearances. "I cannot understand how, despite this and the situation that this country is going through, we cannot even talk about future alliances," she pointed out. Furthermore, she accused the Mexican Executive of trying to blame Spain for the country's current problems through a reinterpretation of the past. 

The popular leader also defended the historical relationship between both countries and regretted that some political sectors react with “hives” to any vindication of the ties between both countries. “We have an exceptional relationship after more than five centuries of brotherhood and shared history”, affirmed Ayuso, who appealed to “look forward” and focus on “what unites” the two nations. In contrast, Sheinbaum has insisted in recent days on vindicating a critical vision of the Spanish conquest and of the role of Hernán Cortés in the history of Mexico.

Ayuso also highlighted the economic weight of Mexico in the Community of Madrid and assured that a large part of Mexican investment in Spain ends up reaching the Madrid region. “Practically all the investment that arrives in Spain from Mexico does so in Madrid”, she affirmed, also emphasizing the importance of business, cultural, and educational relations between both territories. Despite the climate of political tension, the Madrid president defended maintaining her institutional agenda and assured that she would continue strengthening ties with entrepreneurs, students, and Spanish groups present in the country.