While Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with citizens in the street in Mexico City’s historic downtown Tuesday, a man who appeared to be inebriated stepped up behind her and touched her before a government official intervened.
In a video circulating widely on social platforms, the man appeared to lean in for a kiss and touch the president’s body with his hands.
She gently pushed his hands away, maintaining a stiff smile as she turned to face him.
She could be heard to say in part, “Don’t worry.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is grabbed from behind by a man on the streets of Mexico City, on Nov. 4, 2025. @bcn24noticias/X
Sheinbaum gently pushed his hands away, maintaining a stiff smile as she turned to face him. @bcn24noticias/X
The president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident.
Sheinbaum, like her predecessor and political mentor ex- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, tries to maintain a connection with the people, frequently diving into crowds for selfies and handshakes.
Her security detail was not immediately visible in the close shot video Tuesday.
A government official confronted the man as the president backed away. @bcn24noticias/X
Sheinbaum, like her predecessor and political mentor ex- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, tries to maintain a connection with the people, frequently diving into crowds for selfies and handshakes. @bcn24noticias/XIt was an unnerving scene in a week when Sheinbaum has repeatedly had to address questions about political violence following the public assassination of a mayor in western Michoacan state.
On Tuesday, Sheinbaum met with the mayor’s widow.
