Is Trump making Latin America great again?

What the report says

Al Jazeera columnist Belén Fernández argues that US President Donald Trump is benefiting politically from a broader rightward shift in Latin America, where several conservative and hardline leaders have recently won office. The piece says Trump has publicly embraced these allies as part of a revived regional strategy tied to security, migration and anti-left politics, even as his domestic standing has weakened. The columnist describes this trend as a “Trumpification” of the region and warns it could deepen repression, inequality and militarization.

The article cites several examples. In Colombia, it says far-right businessman Abelardo de la Espriella has taken office and is positioned as a close partner of Washington, while Argentina’s Javier Milei, Honduras’ Nasry Asfura and Chile’s José Antonio Kast are also presented as figures aligned with Trump-style politics. It also mentions Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Peru’s Keiko Fujimori as leaders associated with tougher crime policies and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The author argues that these approaches tend to target poor communities, expand prison systems and sidestep the social causes of violence.

Fernández also links the trend to broader US power projection in the hemisphere, including references to a new regional security initiative headquartered in Medellín, Colombia. The column situates current developments within a long history of US backing for right-wing governments in Latin America, saying this pattern has often been justified through anti-communism, anti-crime campaigns or “security” language. The article’s central claim is that Trump’s influence is helping normalize policies that weaken civil liberties and concentrate power among elites across the region.