“Why Mexican Presidents Aren’t Invited to Inaugurations in the U.S.”

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump will take office as President of the United States, but, as in previous occasions, the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, will not be invited to the ceremony. She confirmed herself in her morning press conference that the Mexican government will be represented by Ambassador Esteban Moctezuma at this event. But why does this happen?

A Tradition in Which Mexico Is No Exception

Although it may seem strange, it is not common for the presidents of other countries to be invited to the inauguration in Washington. This practice has nothing to do with diplomatic relations between countries but with a specific protocol in the United States.

Armando Guzmán, a correspondent in Washington, explained that this event is considered an internal political act of the U.S. and is not intended to include heads of state from other countries. This means that, despite the close ties with countries like Mexico, France, Great Britain, or Canada, none of their presidents or prime ministers have been invited to past ceremonies.

Logistical and Security Reasons

In addition to tradition, the lack of invitations is due to practical issues. Having many presidents and international leaders present in Washington could be a challenge in terms of security and logistics. Protecting so many important figures would be difficult to coordinate, so this type of ceremony is mainly limited to former U.S. presidents and a few other national figures.

Changes in Invitations?

Although heads of state are usually not invited, in this case, Donald Trump has decided to make an exception and has invited presidents from countries like Ecuador, Argentina, El Salvador, and the Prime Minister of Italy. According to Guzmán, this is due to Trump’s affinity with right-wing governments, which explains his selections.

The Precedent of Carlos Salinas de Gortari

The only Mexican president invited to an event before an inauguration was Carlos Salinas de Gortari. In 1994, before Bill Clinton took office, Salinas had a private meeting with him in the city of Austin, Texas, not Washington. This meeting took place due to the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was about to come into effect at that time.