The son of the former Mexican president responds to the businessman after being called 'fat corrupt' and demands evidence of corruption. The exchange of tweets went viral in Mexico.
The confrontation on the social network X between businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego and José Ramón López Beltrán, son of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, escalated this weekend into a back-and-forth of accusations and demands for evidence that has captured attention in Mexico.
The origin of the dispute: a holiday in Disney
It all began when journalist Jorge García Orozco published a video of José Ramón López Beltrán at the Be Our Guest restaurant in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida. The image contrasted, according to the journalist, with the austerity narrative that his father promoted during his term.
Hours later, Ricardo Salinas Pliego reacted with a blunt message: “Well, at least the fat corrupt shows us that he still has a visa. Imagine the magic of having a corrupt dad, the one who said he lived on 200 pesos and now all his children are millionaires without a single job known in their lives.”
The businessman, founder of Grupo Salinas, also included references to cases such as the Casa Gris, contracts with Baker Hughes, and the audios of Amílcar Olán, which have been mentioned in journalistic investigations about López Obrador's inner circle.
López Beltrán's response: demands concrete evidence
José Ramón López Beltrán directly responded to the businessman on the same social network. “Insults have never been proof of anything. You can call me ‘corrupt’ once, a hundred, or a thousand times @RicardoBSalinas. Repeating an accusation does not make it true,” he wrote.
In his message, the former president's son challenged Salinas Pliego to present evidence to the authorities. “If you have a single proof that I have committed a crime, present it where it belongs. If not, all you are doing is defaming from a social network,” he added.
He also responded to the claim that he is not known to have any job: “Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.” López Beltrán has worked as a consultant and has been linked to energy projects, although his professional activity has been controversial.
Salinas Pliego counters with a list of accusations
The owner of TV Azteca did not remain silent and replied with a series of direct questions: “Fat? Corrupt? Lazy? […] Is it false that your dad boasted of living with 200 pesos in his wallet? […] there are still the Casa Gris, the contracts with Baker Hughes, the audios of Amílcar Olán, the videos of your uncles receiving money in envelopes.”
Salinas Pliego challenged López Beltrán to step on a scale, prove that he works, and explain the “yellow envelopes,” referring to a video that circulated in 2022 showing relatives of the then-president receiving alleged bribes.
The businessman insisted that this is not about insults, but about accusations based on public information. “Show us a photo of you working or a pay stub,” he concluded.
López Beltrán's closing: “You couldn't present any evidence”
In his final message, José Ramón López Beltrán concluded the exchange with a tone of dialectical victory. “Thank you for the response @RicardoBSalinas. You confirmed exactly what I said. I asked you for a single proof that I had committed a crime. Just one. And you couldn't present any,” he wrote.
“The difference between you and me is very simple: you need people to believe your accusations; I only asked you to prove one. And you couldn't,” he concluded.
The exchange of messages has generated thousands of reactions in Mexico, where both figures are polarising. While some see Salinas Pliego as a businessman exposing alleged acts of corruption, others accuse him of using his media power to attack political opposition.
For now, neither of them has announced legal actions. What is clear is that, on social media, a photo in Disney can unleash a political storm.
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