Mariam Ashalem De Andres
18 September 2026•Update: 18 September 2026
US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke by phone as the two countries continued negotiations on a trade agreement, Politico reported Thursday.
A person familiar with the call, which took place Wednesday, described the conversation as “so-so,” saying new issues were raised during the discussion, while a US official characterized it as “constructive” and rejected suggestions that the call had gone poorly.
The call came as the two countries worked to resolve outstanding issues ahead of the 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade pact governing economic relations among the three North American countries.
Mexican officials believed the countries were nearing an agreement on several outstanding trade issues, according to local media. The negotiations have focused on areas including automobiles, steel and aluminum, agriculture, labor and economic security.
The US and Mexico have been holding bilateral discussions ahead of the broader USMCA review, which also involves Canada. The agreement took effect in 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard held the latest formal round of bilateral talks in Mexico City in July. Both sides described those discussions as constructive and agreed to continue negotiations.
The next round of formal talks is scheduled for Sept. 28 and 29 in Washington after being postponed by one week.
Trump said Thursday that the US was “very close” to reaching an “excellent” trade agreement with Mexico, according to Mexican media.
He has repeatedly raised concerns about trade imbalances, tariffs and rules governing North American supply chains as his administration seeks changes to the regional trade framework.
Mexico has sought to preserve access to the US market while negotiating issues involving tariffs, rules of origin and protections for key industries.
The outcome of the bilateral talks will feed into the broader review of the USMCA.
