The Trump administration’s deployment to Latin America in recent days offered a nugget of insight into the president’s unusual worldview. In Panama City, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sternly told President José Raúl Mulino that the United States would take “measures” if Panama did not reduce Chinese influence over the Panama Canal — an ominous

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to the region and warned of Chinese encroachment. Several Latin American countries expanded trade and investment relations with China.

Rubio’s trip reaffirmed the strategic importance of many Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. These nations offer political stability, existing trade agreements and a track record of economic cooperation, making them ideal partners in securing U.S. investments and boosting exports.

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the United States, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, has made Latin America the top priority of U.S. foreign policy.

He is in a very difficult position because his long-held beliefs are not the ones he has been tasked to defend now.”