Shackelford: Donald Trump applies his strongman approach to Latin America

"Other than frustration at surging migration, Latin America has not merited the same level of attention in Washington as the Middle East, Europe or Asia in recent history. That indifference has ended with the second Trump administration, but the nature of our renewed attention is not exactly what many of our neighbors might have hoped for. Rather than a shared interest in prosperity and stability across the hemisphere,"

"President Donald Trump seems intent on showcasing America's power to promote his favored autocratic leaders and bring perceived enemies to heel. How these actions promote the interests of American citizens, however, remains unclear. Monroe Doctrine redux It feels like a flashback to the Monroe Doctrine, the foreign policy approach introduced by President James Monroe in 1823. He indicated that the United States would not interfere with internal affairs in Europe if European powers stopped meddling in the Western Hemisphere."

"In Brazil, Trump has wielded America's economic power ruthlessly in an effort to thwart accountability for Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro. In July, Trump imposed some of the highest tariffs in the world totaling 50% in retaliation for Bolsonaro's prosecution for attempting to maintain power through a coup after losing reelection in 2022. Trump has justified most of his tariffs as necessary to correct trade deficits, which he asserts are unfair. But the United States in fact has a trade surplus with Brazil."

Latin America drew little sustained Washington attention until the second Trump administration, which redirected focus toward exerting U.S. power in the hemisphere. The administration prioritizes showcasing American strength to bolster favored autocratic leaders and to punish perceived adversaries rather than promoting shared prosperity and stability. That approach echoes the Monroe Doctrine's assertion of U.S. sphere-of-influence prerogatives. In Brazil, the administration used tariffs—some totaling 50 percent—to retaliate against prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, justifying measures as correcting trade imbalances despite a U.S. surplus with Brazil. Brazil's current president resisted the pressure and defended his country's democratic processes.

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