What Bukele Wants from Trump
The Salvadoran president’s controversial deals with the U.S. are calculated to preserve his reputation at home as the economy stumbles and evidence of a gang truce mounts.
When President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador met with business leaders from across Latin America in February to encourage investment, he said he was hoping that an “economic miracle” in the country would eclipse the “security miracle” that his administration is known for. But an “economic miracle” seems increasingly far off. Under Bukele’s leadership, the country’s murder rate has plummeted—from 51 per 100,000 people in 2019, when he took office, to just 1.9 in 2024. This has made him one of the world’s most popular leaders, registering an 83% approval rating in...
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