The US should warn Mexico’s new president of a possible end to free trade

On Sunday, Claudia Sheinbaum was elected president of Mexico. She will take office on Oct. 1. She is a leftist who blames capitalism for the millions of Mexicans who live in poverty.

Sheinbaum has promised an expansion of the welfare state. She proposes to expand government control of other industries in the private sector. She wants the telecommunications industry to be controlled by the government. Importantly, not only did Sheinbaum win in a landslide, but her Morena party also won a decisive victory in the elections for Mexico’s legislature. The Morena party will have the power to change the constitution.

Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will have the opportunity to oversee changes in the constitution. He does not leave office until Sept. 30. He promises to allow the direct election of judges, and he will eliminate the autonomous election agency. It is now likely that Mexico will become a single-party authoritarian dictatorship. Leftists will control a country that shares a 1,950-mile border with the United States.