by Allan Wall, Mexico News Report, ©2025
(Nov. 28, 2025) — A billionaire from outside the formal political system who criticizes the political establishment, runs for president, and wins.
Didn’t that occur in one of Mexico’s neighbors?
Could it also occur in Mexico?
There are indications that Ricardo Salinas Pliego may run for president in 2030.
Ricardo Salinas Pliego is a billionaire and the third richest man in Mexico (net worth 5.5 billion USD). Salinas is the CEO of Grupo Salinas, a conglomerate which includes the TV Azteca Media Network, Grupo Elektra (including Elektra stores and Banco Azteca), soccer teams Club Puebla and Mazatlán Futbol Club, Italika motorcycles, Totalplay telecoms, and others.
Salinas Pliego is the son of Hugo Salinas Price, whose mother was American, see his apellido materno. Salinas Price is still alive.
Ricardo Salinas Pliego is a critic of the Sheinbaum Administration. He was against the judicial reform [see here] and supported the recent protests against the administration.
What are some clues that Salinas Pliego might run for president?
Well, one is that he recently updated his Twitter X profile. You can see it here. It now has a Mexican flag in the top photo. The photo is blurry, but maybe that symbolizes something too.
And Salinas Pliego has this statement near the top: “The State is not the solution, it is the problem. Do not let yourselves be intimidated by the parasites of the State, the only thing they want is to perpetuate themselves in power.” (automatic translation from site)
That’s small-government ideology, quite different from that of President Claudia Sheinbaum and the MORENA party.
An article on Universal about this update is entitled “Salinas Pliego edita perfil de X y lanza guiño como candidato presidencial“, that is, “Salinas Pliego edits X Profile and Tosses Out a Wink as Presidential Candidate”.
Another evidence that Salinas Pliego might run is that he is reported to be thinking about selling his two soccer teams, Club Puebla and Mazatlán Futbol Club, in order to finance a campaign. That could net him $165 million. [See Salinas Pliego will sell Mazatlán and Puebla on the Mexico Daily Post.]