Trump's Latin America allies consolidate power amid US influence push
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Right-wing leaders aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump have taken power across Latin America over the past 18 months. Their rise follows Trump's personal endorsements and threats to cut aid to countries that did not elect his preferred candidates. The shift has raised concerns about human rights and democratic norms in the region.
Key Facts
- Trump has taken personal credit for electoral victories of right-wing leaders in Latin America over the past year and a half.
- In Colombia, far-right businessman Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president after defending paramilitary leaders as a lawyer.
- Argentina's Javier Milei's party won October midterm elections after Trump conditioned a $40bn bailout on that outcome.
- In January, right-wing businessman Nasry Asfura assumed Honduras' presidency after Trump threatened to cut aid if Asfura lost.
- Chile's Jose Antonio Kast, endorsed by Trump in 2025, ordered trench digging along Chile's borders as one of his first acts.
The Rise of Right-Wing Leaders
Over the past year and a half, a slew of right-wing leaders has taken power in Latin America through electoral victories for which Trump has taken personal credit. These leaders appear eager to facilitate the resurgence of US power projection in what Trump has called the "Donroe Doctrine". Trump's posse of Latin American acolytes includes Argentina's Javier Milei, whose party did well in October midterm elections after Trump conditioned a $40bn bailout on that outcome. In January, right-wing businessman Nasry Asfura assumed the presidency of Honduras following Trump's threat to cut off aid if Asfura lost the elections. Trump's regional winning streak extended to Chile, where in 2025 he endorsed presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, an admirer of dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Domestic Consequences
Milei's decision to wipe out welfare provisions has sent millions of Argentinians into poverty and flooded the streets of Buenos Aires with homeless people. Asfura's so-called crackdown on crime has merely spurred violence in Honduras. In Colombia, de la Espriella has pledged to "disembowel" the left and is obsessed with jumpstarting fracking and other environmentally destructive projects. Ecuador's Daniel Noboa, El Salvador's Nayib Bukele and Peru's Keiko Fujimori have adopted iron-fist strategies on crime that do nothing to address root causes.
Historical Parallels and Human Rights Concerns
The extensive history of US collaboration with right-wing Latin American regimes in the fight against leftist politics and "narco-terror" suggests what is coming will entail civilian casualties. In Colombia, the US track record of funnelling money to a homicidal army joined with right-wing paramilitary outfits produced bloodshed. De la Espriella amassed part of his fortune defending paramilitary leaders as a criminal defence lawyer. Kast, as one of his first moves as president, personally inspected the start of a campaign to dig trenches along Chile's borders.
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Trump's Latin America allies consolidate power amid US influence push
