Trump seeks to expand his influence in the world/AP
The United States has always played strong away from home. Covert coups, intelligence operations, and persuasive campaigns marked decades of foreign policy. But no president has reached the level of Donald Trump, who has turned electoral interference into a public and permanent display.
No subtlety, no secret operations: Trump interferes in broad daylight and through his favorite tool, social media.
His support for Honduran Nasri Asfora — whom he called “the only true friend of freedom” — was just one example of Trump’s style: direct, disruptive, and without fear of generating diplomatic earthquakes.
Thomas Carruthers, an international authority on democracy issues, said it without nuance: “We have never seen an American president do anything like this so publicly.”
Latin America: The region where Trump is advancing unbridled
If there is one region where Trump plays comfortably, it is Latin America. The region has suffered decades of American interference, but the current president’s attack belongs to a different category.
Colombia: Unprecedented attacks on a sitting president. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio targeted Gustavo Petro, whom he called “crazy.”
Javier Miley
A statement that tramples on any diplomatic protocol and reflects the regional strategy of Trumpism: direct confrontation and contempt for forms.
Brazil: An open defense of Bolsonarianism. The United States has imposed sanctions on the judge investigating Jair Bolsonaro for the attempted coup.
The message was clear: support Trump’s allies even in the face of legal cases to destabilize democracy.
Argentina: Millionaire’s promises…with warnings. Trump announced a $20 billion package to stabilize the Argentine economy, but made his most troubling statement: The aid will disappear if voters do not support Javier Miley in the legislative elections. Miley won. Trump celebrated as if he had won.
Venezuela: hints of military power. With no election on the horizon, Trump doubled down and proposed using US military force to remove Nicolas Maduro. It is a message that, if confirmed, would constitute a historic break with continental diplomacy.
“This is a systematic strategy to push the region toward increasingly right-wing positions,” warns Will Freeman of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Gustavo Pietro
Europe is shaking too
The influence of the American president does not remain on the American continent.
Poland: Direct support for the winning candidate. During her visit, Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem unequivocally endorsed Governor Carol Nawrocki, who later won the election.
It is an intervention so obvious that it has left many European capitals uncomfortable.
Romania: Canceling the elections and its ally is in decline. Trump tried to pressure the local far-right candidate, who ended up losing after the first vote was canceled amid controversy.
Germany, United Kingdom, France: Favorite club. JD Vance criticized the restrictions imposed on the far-right Alternative for Germany party in Berlin.
Trump praised British leader Nigel Farage, calling him “the voice Europe needs.” He defended Marine Le Pen after a dissenting court ruling in France.
European analysts are talking about a new phenomenon: the internationalization of Trumpism.
Less democracy, more political consensus
The State Department has been instructed to limit commentary on the legitimacy of elections in other countries, dismantling decades of democracy-promoting diplomacy.
For many experts, this is the strongest sign of the new Trump doctrine: pragmatism, ideological alliances and direct pressure.
Double face of the president
While Trump was demanding certain outcomes in other countries, he was the protagonist of the largest domestic challenge to an election outcome in modern US history.
He denied his defeat in 2020 and promoted pressure in Georgia, despite the case being archived after his victory in 2024.
He also publicly called on the President of Israel to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of corruption.
Sarcasm of the year: Trump denounces interventions…
In May, in Riyadh, he criticized US intervention in the Middle East. He did this while his administration was interfering politically in at least ten countries.
Many analysts see this as evidence of “selective intervention”: condemning what does not suit you, and promoting what benefits your network of allies.
Political scientist Dov Levin counted more than 80 American electoral interventions since 1945, but he warned: “Nothing resembles what Trump is doing now.”
A network of connections
“This is not a global strategy,” Carruthers explains. “This is Trump helping his friends.” The most recent example: the White House reception for Viktor Orbán, who described him as “a leader whom Europe should appreciate much more.”