Morena Senator Noroña Admits He Promoted Unfounded Calderón 'Alcoholism' Rumor

In an August 8, 2026 podcast episode, Morena senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña admitted that he had personally promoted the long-circulating rumor that Felipe Calderón was an alcoholic, without ever having concrete evidence for it. Noroña described asking his team for a protest banner that would 'look good, authentic and not fake' before displaying it in the Chamber of Deputies in February 2011 with a message questioning whether a 'drunk person' should be allowed to run the country — an incident that forced the suspension of a legislative session and drew coverage from journalist Carmen Aristegui, whose reporting on the episode contributed to her temporary removal from MVS Noticias. Calderón has repeatedly and categorically denied the allegation. The confession resurfaces one of the more persistent personal attacks of the Calderón era amid the broader 2026 political dispute between Morena and the PAN over the drug war's legacy.