DORAL, Fla. — President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States is collaborating with Latin American nations to tackle violent cartels, emphasizing his administration's commitment to focusing U.S. foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere despite ongoing global crises.
Trump urged regional leaders at his golf club in Miami to take military action against drug trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he described as an “unacceptable threat” to national security in the hemisphere.
“The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries,” Trump stated. “We have to use our military. You have to use your military.” He referenced the U.S.-led coalition that fought the Islamic State in the Middle East, asserting that “we must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home.”
The meeting, dubbed the “Shield of the Americas” summit by the White House, occurred just two months after Trump ordered a bold U.S. military operation to capture Venezuela’s then-president, Nicolás Maduro, and bring him to the U.S. to face drug conspiracy charges.
Adding to the urgency, Trump recently decided to launch a war on Iran alongside Israel, a conflict that has resulted in numerous casualties, disrupted global markets, and unsettled the broader Middle East.
Trump's time with the Latin American leaders was brief; he later traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, which occurred one day after the military campaign against Iran began.
He referred to the American deaths as a “very sad situation” and honored the fallen troops as “great heroes.”
Through the summit, Trump aimed to refocus attention on the Western Hemisphere. He has pledged to reassert U.S. dominance in the region and counter what he perceives as years of Chinese economic influence in the area.
Trump also indicated that the U.S. would shift its focus to Cuba following the conflict with Iran, suggesting that his administration would negotiate with Havana, highlighting Washington’s increasingly aggressive stance toward the island’s communist regime. “Great change will soon be coming to Cuba,” he remarked, adding that “they’re very much at the end of the line.”
Cuban officials have expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with the U.S. as long as it respects Cuban sovereignty, but they have not confirmed that such discussions are ongoing.
Who was there
Leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago attended the summit at Trump National Doral Miami, where Trump is also set to host the Group of 20 summit later this year.
The idea for this gathering of like-minded conservatives emerged after the cancellation of the 10th Summit of the Americas, which was called off during the U.S. military buildup near Venezuela last year.
The Dominican Republic, under pressure from the White House, had excluded Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from the regional meeting. However, after leftist leaders in Colombia and Mexico threatened to withdraw in protest — and with no commitment from Trump to attend — Dominican President Luis Abinader decided to postpone the event, citing “deep differences” in the region.
The “Shield of the Americas” title reflects Trump’s vision for an “America First” foreign policy that utilizes U.S. military and intelligence resources not seen in the region since the Cold War.
In line with this approach, Ecuador and the U.S. conducted military operations this week against organized crime in Ecuador. Security forces from both nations targeted a hideout of the Colombian armed group Comandos de la Frontera in the Ecuadorian Amazon on Friday, according to authorities.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa stated that this joint effort against drug traffickers is “only the beginning.”
Notably absent from the summit were Brazil and Mexico, the region’s two leading powers, as well as Colombia, which has been a key player in U.S. anti-narcotics efforts.
Trump criticized Mexico as the “epicenter of cartel violence,” claiming that drug kingpins are “orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere.”
“The cartels are running Mexico,” Trump stated. “We can’t have that. Too close to us. Too close to you.”
The challenge from China
Trump did not address his administration's focus on countering Chinese influence in the hemisphere, which is a top priority for his second term.
His national security strategy promotes the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, aiming to limit Chinese infrastructure projects and military cooperation in the region.
This strategy was first demonstrated when Trump pressured Panama to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative and reassess long-term port contracts held by a Hong Kong company amid U.S. threats regarding the Panama Canal.
Recently, the U.S. capture of Maduro and Trump’s commitment to “run” Venezuela could disrupt oil shipments to China, the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude before the operation, and potentially bring one of Beijing’s closest allies in the region into Washington's sphere. Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing later this month to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
For many countries, China’s trade-focused diplomacy addresses significant financial needs in a region facing major development challenges, including poverty and infrastructure issues. In contrast, Trump has been cutting foreign aid to the region while rewarding countries that align with his immigration crackdown — a policy that
