Trump Holds 'Shield of the Americas' Summit in Miami

Facing decades in which the political networks of the Bolivarian left, articulated in platforms such as the São Paulo Forum or the Puebla Group, have marked much of continental coordination, the US President has now promoted a bloc of ideologically aligned governments to strengthen cooperation on security, immigration, trade, and the fight against drug trafficking. The chosen venue to launch this initiative was Trump National Doral, the golf complex owned by the president himself in Miami. This time, however, Trump did bring together twelve heads of state and government from Latin America and the Caribbean at the so-called 'Shield of the Americas' summit. Among the attendees were some of the leaders politically closest to the US President in the Spanish-speaking world: Argentina's Javier Milei, El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, Ecuador's Daniel Noboa, Paraguay's Santiago Peña, and Chile's president-elect, José Antonio Kast. Trump, this Saturday, surrounded by the Latin American leaders who have joined the 'Shield of the Americas'. He also highlighted that the US now maintains a working relationship with the government headed by Delcy Rodríguez following the fall of Maduro. After signing, the president held up the document for the cameras as the other leaders applauded. In reality, this was not a multilateral agreement among the countries present. What Trump signed was a presidential proclamation, in practice a decree, with which the US sets its strategy to combat cartels and criminal organizations on the continent. After affixing his signature, the president followed one of his usual gestures in such ceremonies: he began to hand out several of the black markers he had used to sign the document to the leaders. For the White House, the goal is to consolidate a network of governments close to the US capable of acting as a political and strategic counterweight to the coordination spaces that left-wing movements in Latin America have promoted for years. Trump cited what happened in Venezuela as an example of this new strategy. Trump sat at a small table placed in the center of the stage and signed the proclamation while the invited leaders watched from behind. There were also nods to Argentina's Milei and Honduras's Asfura, whom he reminded had his political support. Also participating were Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic; Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica; José Raúl Mulino of Panama; Nasry 'Tito' Asfura of Honduras; Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia; the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali; and the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Trump greeted them one by one in a relaxed atmosphere, with jokes and personal comments for several of them. (EFE) By David Alandete Special envoy to Miami / ABC The president brings together twelve allied leaders in Miami, promotes a military coalition against cartels, and presents the capture of Maduro as an example of his new continental strategy. Donald Trump has set out to ensure that the legacy of his presidency transcends the borders of the United States and projects itself across the entire American continent, with the ambition that it will endure beyond his time in the White House. In it, the president declares the destruction of drug cartels and terrorist organizations operating in the American continent as a strategic priority for the United States. Military Alliance The proclamation also announces the creation of the 'Americas Coalition Against Cartels', a military alliance in which representatives and commanders from 17 countries on the continent participate. 'I say that Delcy Rodríguez is doing a good job because she does what we tell her,' Trump said to the leaders present. The president stated that Washington had demonstrated with that operation that it was willing to act against cartels and criminal structures in the region. The president listened amused, after commenting that Rubio had the advantage of being bilingual. According to diplomatic sources, the document was finalized very late and the delegations did not have time to review or negotiate a joint treaty. Trump yielded the floor to his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who spoke briefly in Spanish: 'You are not just allies, you are friends.' Trump Administration sources explain that the summit seeks to strengthen cooperation between the United States and twelve partner countries on the continent. In this framework, the participants commit to coordinate against common problems such as 'transnational crime, narco-terrorism, massive illegal immigration, and the interference of external actors in the region,' in an implicit reference to both China's presence and Russia's influence in Latin America. But it is striking that Trump signed a document that was not a multilateral agreement among the countries present, but a presidential proclamation titled 'Commitment to Combat the Criminal Activity of Cartels.' 'If not, I wouldn't say he is doing a good job.' What makes this club dubbed the Shield of the Americas different? To the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, he reminded him how young he was when he came to power. He reminded the leaders present of the US operation that ended with the capture of Nicolás Maduro, whom he described as 'one of the great drug lords of the continent.' Around him were, among others, Argentine Javier Milei, Salvadoran Nayib Bukele, Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa, and Paraguayan Santiago Peña, in addition to other leaders present at the summit. The gesture closed the event in the same relaxed tone with which it had begun. Then the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, took the floor, boasting that he speaks only 'American.' Political and Strategic Counterweight The meeting sought to lay the foundations for a new political architecture in the continent aligned with Washington and centered on military cooperation, regional security, and the fight against drug trafficking. There, during his first term, the White House had even considered organizing a G-7 summit that ultimately did not take place due to criticism over a possible conflict of interest. He handed them out one by one as the present applauded and photographers captured the moment. 'They are there when we have a need.' According to the document, these countries are willing to use military power to defeat these organizations and eliminate their ability to operate in the region. The signing of the document came at the end of the event. 'You should change it or you are going to ruin your reputation,' he joked. 'They were lagging behind and I helped them move up,' he told them. The overall tone of the meeting was relaxed, with frequent laughter and informal comments before getting into the political agenda of the summit. To the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, he commented that her first name reminded him of Kamala Harris. 'I'm good at languages, but it's too late to learn your fucking language,' he joked. 'You're not so young anymore, but you do it just as well,' he said with a laugh.