Trump in Latin America: USMCA on Notice, AMLO’s Letter, Hegseth’s Message

On the eve of the North American World Cup kickoff, President Donald Trump said he might not renew the USMCA. “We don’t need anything that Canada has. We don’t need anything that Mexico has. But they need everything that we have, and they have to treat us better,” he added, referencing trade deficits with both countries.  

This comes a few days after Mexico’s ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–2024), who has kept a low public profile since leaving office, resurfaced with a five-page "respectful reflection” suggesting that the “other” Trump should return. In it, the former leader threw his support behind President Claudia Sheinbaum in the face of tensions related to U.S. indictments of members of the governing Morena party and reports of canceled visas of members of his own inner circle due to investigations into organized crime ties. In the document, he said that during his presidency, differences with Trump were resolved “without confrontation” but he alleged that now, certain right-wing U.S. officials are working to strengthen the Mexican opposition, leading to a tone change.  

Still, despite concerns that U.S.–Mexico ties are reaching a nadir, bilateral conversations on security and trade continue. On June 8, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mexican Foreign Secretary Roberto Velasco held a phone conversation on border security, stemming drug trafficking and “accelerating decisive actions to dismantle the cartels,” per a State Department statement. For his part, Velasco announced that bilateral security talks would take place in Mexico City on June 12 with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson in attendance. The ambassador, meanwhile, confirmed Friday’s meeting on X and described it as a demonstration of Trump and Sheinbaum’s “commitment” to collaborate.  

Moreover, the second round of U.S.–Mexico trade talks on the USMCA review takes place in Washington on June 16 and 17.  

“What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the president of the United States and the leadership of Cuba,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told troops at the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay on June 10. “No matter what, the Department of War is going to be prepared and postured for any possible contingency.” He also warned the Cuban government against getting weapons that could hit “this base or the American homeland."

Hegseth became the third high-profile U.S. official to travel to the island in recent weeks as Washington maintains its pressure on Havana. He is scheduled to visit troops in Tampa, Florida the same day.  

The trip comes days after the U.S. government added Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and two of his relatives as well as Cuba’s military executive and other state institutions to a list of sanctioned entities on June 4. Two Castros also made the list, but Raulito “El Cangrejo” Rodríguez Castro, who is rumored to be leading negotiations with the White House, was not one of them, Bloomberg points out.  

Could a Trump executive order against foreign firms working with the Cuban regime lead U.S. tourism operators back to the island? El País reports. 

After Trump endorsed Colombian right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, the country’s foreign ministry issued a June 5 statement rejecting foreign interference in its elections. President Gustavo Petro also criticized Trump’s move in comments to the foreign press. However, a day after Peru’s June 7 presidential runoff, Petro congratulated leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez in a race that has not yet been called.   

Following the May death of Indigenous political leader Brooklyn Rivera in Nicaraguan state custody, the State Department on June 8 issued visa restrictions against 100 officials in the Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo regime, including family members.

Washington and 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries issued a June 5 statement via the Shield of the Americas alliance denouncing mobilizations against Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz as an attempt to overthrow a democratic government. This follows a prior statement supporting Paz in May.  

Eighteen: That’s how many times Argentine President Javier Milei will have visited the United States when he travels to Washington for the July 4 Independence Day celebration of the 250th U.S. birthday.  

GZERO covers Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodríguez’s international trip to India and Turkey, neither of which is a China ally, thereby avoiding ruffling Washington feathers.

Politico goes deep on Aaron Shock, a disgraced former Illinois congressman seeking a comeback inside MAGA amid his quest for a Venezuelan gold mine deal.