About this episode

The episode discusses the failure of the right's 'narco' narrative against Mexico's government and examines proposed legislation to block foreign interference in elections.

In episode 108 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down the latest astroturf campaign targeting Mexico's government and why it's likely to backfire.The episode opens with Sin Embargo's investigation into "Mexicanos al Grito de Paz," a shadowy group backed by billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego that has been organizing flash mobs and banner campaigns against President Sheinbaum. Following the same playbook as the failed "Gen Z" movement, the group's social media follows just five accounts — all tied to the country's rightist media — and pushes a single message: narco-Morena. The hosts explain why this one-note strategy is failing to gain traction with a Mexican public that has repeatedly rejected U.S.-backed smears.Next, they examine Mexico's proposed legislation to block foreign interference in elections; a direct response to U.S. meddling in Honduras, Argentina, and the upcoming Colombian elections. While the New York Times frames the move as authoritarian, the hosts clarify how electoral annulment actually works in Mexico: foreign interference would be just one of several legal grounds, and proving it changed an election…

People in this episode

Hosts: José Luis Granados Ceja, Kurt Hackbarth

Topics covered

• astroturf campaigns
• foreign interference
• Mexican politics
• media narratives
• public opinion
• election legislation

Keywords

• narco-Morena
• astroturf
• foreign interference
• Mexican elections
• public opinion
• political narrative

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mexicanos al Grito de Paz, Sin Embargo, New York Times, Morena, PAN, PRI

Places: Tijuana, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina, Colombia

More episodes of Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

• Sheinbaum to US Ambassador: Mind Your Own Business · June 3, 2026 · 59 min
• CIA Out of Chihuahua: 20,000 Protest Secret Incursion into Mexico · May 20, 2026 · 57 min
• Trump's Twin Threats: US Goes After Mexican Consulates and Weaponizes Counter-Terrorism Policy · May 13, 2026 · 58 min

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