Mexican politician Rubén Moreira mocked Gerardo Fernández Noroña, suggesting the ruling party senator would not take up arms to defend President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, according to LatinUS.
Moreira said that if Noroña does not get up to work or even bathe, he would be even less likely to rise to defend the president with weapons, LatinUS reports. The remark came in response to Noroña's recent challenge to Washington, in which he dared U.S. authorities to target López Obrador after the visa of Andy López Beltrán, the president's son, was revoked.
Noroña, a senator for the Morena party, had issued the challenge following the U.S. decision to revoke Andy López Beltrán's visa, as reported by El Universal. The senator's defiant stance drew criticism from Moreira, a coordinator for the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the lower house of Congress.
The exchange is part of a broader political clash in Mexico. Morena has repeatedly claimed that the United States is running an interventionist campaign against López Obrador, according to El País. The party has used this narrative to shield the president from opposition attacks, La Jornada reports.
Morena leaders have also formally warned that they will not allow foreign interference in Mexico's electoral affairs, backing López Beltrán in the process, according to La Jornada. The visa revocation has become a flashpoint in the relationship between the two countries.
El Financiero has published a profile explaining who Andy López Beltrán is, highlighting his role within the president's inner circle.
What to watch next: whether the visa dispute escalates further and how Morena's foreign-interference claims shape the political debate ahead of upcoming elections.
