Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s mañaneras boost his presidency
They are a marvel of populist communication
![Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico.](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240601_AMP001.jpg)
Self-respecting populists speak to the people directly. Few have mastered the art like Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s outgoing 70-year-old president. Every weekday morning at 7am begins his mañanera, a several-hour-long broadcast from wherever he is that day, often the National Palace. Broadcast on YouTube, as well as radio stations and a podcast, each mañanera reaches an average audience of 10m.
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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Influencer first, president second”
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