Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has accused a man who she says was “drunk” and harassed her on Tuesday, calling the incident an “attack on all women.”
According to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, the man was arrested overnight and is being held at the Sexual Crimes Investigation Unit.
The incident happened on Tuesday when a man in Mexico City pushed through a crowd of people cheering for Sheinbaum and appeared to grope her, according to viral footage of the incident.
The video showed the man approaching Sheinbaum. He appeared to touch her breast and try to kiss her as bystanders in the central Zocalo district watched. The incident ended when one of her top aides, Juan José Ramírez Mendoza, intervened.
The episode sparked outrage online and renewed debate over harassment and women’s safety in public life.
Mexico City police said preliminary findings link the man to the alleged harassment of two other women on the same day. CNN is trying to determine if the man has legal representation for comment.
Sheinbaum, who is Mexico’s first female president, announced Wednesday that she was motivated to take legal action against the man, who she described as “totally drunk.”
“I decided to press charges because I have experienced this as a woman – this is what all women in our country experience,” she said. “No man has the right to violate this space,” she said.
She added that this is not the first time she has experienced harassment. Throughout her career, Sheinbaum has been open about the harassment she has experienced in the past. In 2021, as mayor of Mexico City, she shared a video for International Women’s Day in which she recalled being harassed on public transport at the age of 12 and being harassed by a professor when she was a student.
Security concerns
Tuesday’s incident raised questions about Sheinbaum’s safety. It comes just days after the brutal killing of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo during a public Day of the Dead event, raising questions about the level of security checks required of public officials.
Sheinbaum, like her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, chose not to retain the Presidential Guard, which was abolished in 2018.
Security analyst Raúl Benítez-Manaut told CNN en Español that the decision left a gap in high-level security: “With the removal of the presidential guard, no specialized security system has been reinstated. Sheinbaum relies on a small team of aides rather than a professional perimeter security unit.”
Sheinbaum defended his approach on Wednesday. “We cannot stay away from the people – that would deny who we are. Our assistants will continue to accompany us, but we must stay close to the citizens,” she said.
The Women’s Affairs Secretariat, part of the Sheinbaum administration, condemned the incident on Tuesday, saying proximity to the public “cannot be used as an excuse to invade personal space or make physical contact without consent.”
“Unfortunately, no woman in our country is exempt from sexual harassment,” the ministry said. “It is very important that men understand that these actions are not only violent, but also criminal.
The office urged victims to report incidents rather than dismiss them. “These forms of violence must not be downplayed; their condemnation is critical to justice and cultural change,” it said.
“An invitation to face misogyny”
The incident involving the Mexican head of state highlights a wider issue of women in public life. The National Electoral Institute (INE) recorded 516 cases of violence against women in political positions between September 2020 and July 2025.
The mayor of Mexico City echoed Sheinbaum’s own campaign message about women’s representation, saying the event shows why “being the first female president isn’t just symbolic — it’s a call to confront misogyny.”
Tuesday’s incident points to a deep-seated national problem. 2021 of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico (INEGI). According to a national survey, 70.1% of Mexican women aged 15 and older have experienced at least one form of violence, and 49.1% of women reported sexual violence.
Sheinbaum said Wednesday that she will work with the Secretariat of Women’s Affairs to review the criminalization of harassment in all Mexican states and launch a national anti-harassment campaign.
“Women should be respected in every sense,” she said. “Harassment is a crime – it’s time everyone in this country understood that.”
CNN’s Sol Amaya and Verónica Calderón contributed to this report.
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