Trump Advocates Military Force Against Cartels at Regional Summit
President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the United States and Latin American nations are uniting to confront violent cartels, as his administration seeks to highlight its continued focus on Western Hemisphere foreign policy despite ongoing global emergencies. Speaking at his Miami-area golf club, Trump encouraged regional leaders to take military action against drug trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he described as posing an "unacceptable threat" to national security across the hemisphere.
"Unleash the Power of Our Militaries"
"The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries," Trump asserted. "We have to use our military. You have to use your military." He referenced the U.S.-led coalition that fought the Islamic State group in the Middle East, stating that "we must now do the same thing to eradicate the cartels at home." The summit, dubbed "Shield of the Americas" 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 and his wife to the United States to face drug conspiracy charges.
This gathering also follows Trump's recent decision to join Israel in launching a war on Iran one week prior, a conflict that has resulted in hundreds of casualties, disrupted global markets, and destabilized the broader Middle East. Trump's time with the Latin American leaders was limited, as he later departed for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to attend the dignified transfer of six U.S. troops killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, which occurred a day after the U.S. and Israel initiated their military campaign against Iran.
Focus on Western Hemisphere and Countering China
Through the summit, Trump aimed to shift attention back to the Western Hemisphere, at least temporarily. He has pledged to reassert U.S. dominance in the region and push back against what he perceives as years of Chinese economic encroachment in America's backyard. Trump also indicated that the U.S. will turn its focus to Cuba after the war with Iran, suggesting his administration would negotiate a deal with Havana, highlighting Washington's increasingly aggressive stance against the island's communist leadership. "Great change will soon be coming to Cuba," he said, adding that "they're very much at the end of the line."
The leaders of 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, a golf resort where Trump is also scheduled to host the Group of 20 summit later this year. Notably absent were the region's two dominant powers—Brazil and Mexico—as well as Colombia, which has long been a key partner in U.S. anti-narcotics strategy.
Historical Context and Expert Perspectives
The idea for this summit of like-minded conservatives emerged after the cancellation of the 10th edition of the Summit of the Americas, which was scrapped during the U.S. military buildup off the coast of Venezuela last year. The host Dominican Republic, under pressure from the White House, had barred Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from attending, but leftist leaders in Colombia and Mexico threatened to withdraw in protest, leading to a last-minute postponement by Dominican President Luis Abinader, who cited "deep differences" in the region.
Richard Feinberg, a professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, who helped plan the first Summit of the Americas in 1994, contrasted the events. "The first Summit of the Americas, with 34 nations and a carefully negotiated comprehensive agenda for regional competitiveness, projected inclusion, consensus and optimism," he said. "The hastily convened Shield of the Americas mini-summit conjures a crouched defensiveness, with only a dozen or so attendees huddled around a single dominant figure."
Challenges from China and Regional Dynamics
Since returning to the White House, Trump has prioritized countering Chinese influence in the hemisphere. His national security strategy promotes the "Trump Corollary" to the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, targeting Chinese infrastructure projects, military cooperation, and investment in the region's resource industries. An early demonstration of this approach was Trump's pressure on Panama to withdraw from China's Belt and Road Initiative and review port contracts held by a Hong Kong-based company, amid U.S. threats to retake the Panama Canal.
However, even leaders aligned with Trump have been hesitant to cut ties with China, according to Evan Ellis, an expert on Chinese engagement in the region at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. For many countries, China's trade-focused diplomacy addresses critical financial needs in a region facing development challenges like poverty and infrastructure gaps. In contrast, Trump has reduced foreign assistance to the region while rewarding countries that support his immigration crackdown—a policy widely unpopular across the hemisphere.
Kevin Gallagher, director of Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, noted, "The U.S. is offering the region tariffs, deportations and militarization whereas China is offering trade and investment. Leaders in the region would do well to remain neutral and hedge, such that they can leverage increased U.S.-China rivalry to their own benefit." Before the summit, Trump appointed Kristi Noem, whom he recently removed as homeland secretary, as his special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Noem stated that Trump would announce "a big agreement" at the summit focused on "how we're going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere."
