When the United States sneezes, the world catches a cold they say. But no country in the world is closer to and more interdependent with the US than Mexico – and Trump’s impending return to the presidency will be more than just a sneeze. During his campaign, the southern neighbour was Trump’s bête noire, with current threats of mass deportations, blanket tariffs, or a cross-border "war on drugs" being aimed squarely at Mexico. As such, the incoming Trump administration poses formidable challenges for Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum. Despite her landslide victory in the 2024 elections, Sheinbaum and her government will also be tested by domestic issues – from controversial judicial reform, to the lack of thorough fiscal reform, to persistent criminal violence.