During his speech at the Republican National Convention, Presidential hopeful Donald Trump attacked Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele for “sending” his nation’s gang criminals to the United States.
- Trump stated that Bukele “doesn’t do a wonderful job” in protecting El Salvador, although Trump failed to mention Bukele’s name outright.
- Trump then used his time at the pulpit to attack Bukele by claiming he was exporting the country’s gang criminals to the United States.
- Trump then further alleged that this was the real reason El Salvador has seen an unprecedented decrease in crime, ignoring Bukele’s policy of jailing thousands of suspected criminals in freshly built prisons.
Zooming out: Trump’s comments on Bukele would highlight a new divide between the Republican nominee and El Salvador, which previously held good relations.
- The second inauguration of Nayib Bukele, a president adored by conservatives and nationalists for his hard-line stance on law and order, was attended by Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, and other “MAGA Republicans” in June.
- Bukele was also “warmly welcomed” at this year’s CPAC conference and would deliver a speech that some believed was the best of the entire event.
- In response to Trump’s recent RNC remarks, Bukele took to X, formerly Twitter, posting only the words “Taking the high road.”
Zooming in: Despite Trump’s false claims about Bukele’s domestic policies, a military-style crackdown on gang criminals has only increased the quality of life and reduced migration in the region.
- Bukele, 42, won reelection with overwhelming support, securing 85% of the vote. His aggressive stance against gang activity has transformed El Salvador from the global leader in homicides to one of the safest nations in the world.
- The dramatic improvement in public safety has led to a significant decline in emigration, with over 60% fewer Salvadorans leaving for the U.S. since Bukele took office in 2019.
- Additionally, in 2023, laws were passed in El Salvador to incentivize a return to the country for anyone who may have fled due to crime and personal safety concerns.
- These emigration policies stand in sharp contrast to the outflow of migrants from neighboring Latin American countries and directly conflict with Trump’s claims during the RNC.
In the headlines: Bukele has undoubtedly won the hearts of his people by adopting illiberal governing policies while making enemies of leftist NGOs and other neoliberal advocacy groups.
- In recent weeks, the “world’s coolest dictator” has targeted price gougers and other financial exploiters, promising “swift action” against businesses accused of unfairly raising prices on goods deemed essential for human life.
- Bukele’s successful mass arrest campaign against violent criminals turned El Salvador’s homicide rate of 18.4% in 2013 to 0.42%, with only 154 homicides nationwide in 2023.
Update 7/20: At a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Presidential hopeful Donald Trump once again attacked and smeared Nayib Bukele, this time specifically naming El Salvador.
- In his remarks, Trump falsely accused Bukele of sending criminals to the United States to deflate his own country’s crime statistics.
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