Trump Win Sends Shock Waves Through Latin America: ‘Resurgence of a True Warrior’

FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.
Evan Vucci, File/AP

Latin American heads of state and politicians congratulated President-elect Donald Trump for his victory in Tuesday’s presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris.

In Brazil, radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva extended his congratulations to Trump through a message posted on his official Twitter account on Wednesday morning, describing democracy as the voice of the people and calling for dialogue and joint work towards peace.

“My congratulations to President Donald Trump on his electoral victory and return to the presidency of the United States. Democracy is the voice of the people and it must always be respected,” the message read. “The world needs dialogue and working together for more peace, development and prosperity. I wish the new government luck and success.”

Lula’s congratulatory words notably stand in stark contrast to a harsh condemnation of Trump Lula issued days before the election. Last week, the left-wing Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported that Lula expressed his support of Harris and claimed that a prospective Trump victory would be “Nazism with a different face” in remarks given to the French television channel TF1.

“I think that if Kamala wins the election, it’s much safer for us to strengthen democracy in the United States. Much safer. We saw what President Trump was like at the end of his term, making that attack on the Capitol, something unthinkable to happen in the US, which presented itself to the world as a model of democracy. And that model has collapsed,” Lula reportedly said.

“Now we have hatred distilled every day, lies, not just in the U.S., in Europe, in Latin America, in many countries around the world. It’s fascism and Nazism working again with a new face. As a lover of democracy, the most sacred thing we humans can build to govern our country well, I’m obviously rooting for Kamala to win the election,” he added.

According to the Brazilian left-wing newspaper, Lula, who narrowly defeated former President Jair Bolsonaro in a controversial election in late 2022, reportedly described himself as a “lover of democracy.” 

Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who maintains a friendly relationship with Trump, congratulated the President-elect in a lengthy social media message in both English and Portuguese. Bolsonaro described Trump’s victory as “historic” and a milestone that “rekindles the flame of freedom, sovereignty, and true democracy,” and hoped that his victory inspires Brazil to follow the same path.

“Today, we witness the resurgence of a true warrior. A man who, even after facing a brutal electoral process in 2020 and an unjustifiable judicial persecution, has risen again, as few in history have managed to do,” Bolsonaro said.

“Against all opposition from globalists and the deep state, Donald Trump will return to the Presidency of the United States of America to complete his mission: restore the greatness of his nation, protect the interests of his people, and work toward a world that is freer, more peaceful, and more secure,” he continued.

Bolsonaro, in a different post, thanked God for Trump’s victory and shared a passage of the Bible that reads, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

In Venezuela, the socialist regime “congratulated” Trump on Wednesday afternoon in an official Foreign Ministry statement and claimed that Venezuela “will always be willing to establish good relations with U.S. governments, framed in a spirit of dialogue, respect and reasonableness.”

“The people of Venezuela share historic ties with the people of the United States, with whom we aspire to walk a path of peace and social justice, where there is no room for war, exclusion, discrimination, and where cooperation and mutual respect among nations are the standard of international relations,” the statement read.

Prior to the election, socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro claimed that, regardless of a Trump or Harris victory, the winner would have to engage in “good faith” dialogue with his regime.

In Nicaragua, the communist regime “greeted” the United States in a boilerplate statement that makes no mention of Trump nor does it congratulate him on his electoral victory.

“We continue to strengthen our Values in Unity, ​​carrying out our Purposes of Human Security, Life and Paths of Encounter, in harmony with what belongs to us,” the statement read. “Our Prayers for Tranquility and Mutual Understanding for the People of the United States, from the Faith and Strength of our Peoples.”

At press time, the communist Castro regime has not publicly commented on Trump’s victory. Hours before the election, Cuba’s communist Castro regime asserted that it would continue being a “thorn in the side” of the United States regardless of the outcome of the election.

Colombian far-left President Gustavo Petro was among the first Latin American leaders to publicly comment on Trump’s victory. Petro “congratulated” Trump on social media in a post responding to statements issued by Trump regarding the closure of the U.S. southern border and the out-of-control illegal migration to the country.

“The American people have spoken and they are respected. Congratulations to Trump on his win. The north/south dialogue continues and the reality of climate collapse will make it revolve around its solution,” Petro’s message read.

“The only way to seal the borders is with prosperity for the peoples of the south and an end to the blockades. The progressive possibility in the US could not applaud the genocide in Gaza,” the message continued.

Other regional heads of state, such as Argentine President Javier Milei, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Uruguay’s Luis Lacalle Pou, and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa congratulated Trump on social media.

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here,

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