Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has had a very bad week. I've covered it pretty extensively, but the gist of it is that a popular anti-narco mayor in her country was murdered last weekend, and it's sparked an uproar among her citizens. All week, tens of thousands of law-abiding Mexican people, if not more, have taken to the streets to protest, with a bigger, more organized protest planned for November 15. They're fed up with living in a narco-state, and rightfully so.
Sheinbaum, whose official security policy is similar to her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador's "hugs not bullets," is feeling the pressure from her constituents. In response, the socialist has carried on about the "right wing" being the real problem when it comes to violence, said she can't touch the cartels because they have rights too, and allegedly staged a few stunts to attempt to take the attention away from the protesters. It hasn't worked.
And on top of it, she's doubled down, saying that she does not want any "foreign intervention," despite quiet pressure from the United States, as well as offers of assistance to help with Mexican security.
Recently, her clownish Colombian narco-commie bro, Gustavo Petro, took a few minutes away from posting his every thought on X and defending the narco-terrorist who is holding Venezuela hostage, Nicolás Maduro, to threaten the United States and let the world know that he and the rest of South America will have Sheinbaum's back if anyone tries to intervene in Mexico:
So, I would say to [Marco] Rubio and [Donald] Trump: be careful, you're crossing the Caribbean of the liberators. Be careful, you're messing with Bolívar's homeland. Haven't they read Bolívar's history? They are now reaching the islands, the lands where armies of peasants with spears defeated the most powerful armies in the world. One, the Spanish army of the king; the other, the French army of the Republic — and they couldn't.
Beware, for in the Caribbean Sea there are peoples who have always been accustomed to hurricanes and can unleash themselves like one. And that is what the legend says: if the golden eagle attacks the condor, they awaken the jaguar, which represents the American peoples.
Don't awaken the jaguar! We can still talk! South America can save the United States by cleaning up its energy matrix of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.
At least, I think that's what he said. Dude is typically high as a kite on his country's top export and obsessed with the idea that anything involving the U.S. in Latin America is imperialism.
But here's the thing: I don't think South American has Sheinbaum's back at all. Or Petro's for that matter.
It hasn't happened overnight, but over the last two or so years, Latin America, particularly countries in South America, is turning toward capitalism and free-market principles and away from socialist experiments. What was dubbed the second pink tide in the late 2010s and early 2020s appears to be coming to an end. People in these countries are sick of these failed economic policies, insecurity, leftist government corruption, and living in fear of organized crime. They want their countries back, and they're voting and fighting to make that happen.
Just this weekend, after decades of socialism and anti-U.S. sentiment, Bolivia inaugurated its first center-right president, Rodrigo Paz. Paz has made it clear that he wants to repair the country's relationship with the United States. He was recently in Washington, D.C. meeting with Secretary Marco Rubio, and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was on hand to represent our country at the inauguration.
The main square in La Paz, Bolivia, Plaza Murillo, has witnessed many of the most dramatic moments in the country’s turbulent history, from the burning of the Presidential Palace (Palacio Quemado) in 1875 to the lynching of President Villarroel in 1946. For the past 11 years, the… pic.twitter.com/OgiF65KyOe
— Christopher Landau (@ChrisLandauUSA) November 9, 2025
"Enough with ideologies that don't put food on the table," Paz said during his speech this weekend. "Ideology doesn't put food on the table. What feeds you is employment, production, growth, respect for private property, citizen security, and legal security."
He promised "capitalism for all."
The new right-wing President of Bolivia immediately got to work by eliminating all socialist symbols from the country's flag and coat of arms.
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 9, 2025
He also promised to start a capitalist revolution in the country: "We're going to put Bolivia in the world and let the world come to… pic.twitter.com/N7XiX30OeX
That should give you an idea of what he plans for Bolivia's future and what the Bolivian people voted for overwhelmingly. So, that's one South American country off the table, el presidente Petro.
I don't think Petro can count on Argentina either. Perhaps the biggest success story of the last couple of years was the election of Javier Milei and his "chainsaw" approach to cutting government spending. Milei has become an important partner for the United States, both economically and through security alliances. A couple of weeks ago, Argentinian voters proved that they are still on board with Milei's policies when his La Libertad Avanza party won big during the country's midterms.
Milei, who was in Florida last week, spoke at a Conservative Political Action Conference event, and he actually mocked the communism coming to the United States, especially New Yorkers. ."Now you will live under a communist government. Know that, if things get complicated, you will always be well received in [Argentina] if you seek prosperity," he said.
Milei was also at Paz's inauguration this weekend, and he was treated like a freaking rock star, but I think he is everywhere he goes these days. Also in attendance were Ecuador's pro-business, tough-on-crime, and pro-U.S. president, Daniel Noboa and Paraguay's conservative, pro-business, and anti-corruption president, Santiago Peña. I don't think any of these guys are siding with Petro on anything.
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In case you missed it, Peru actually cut diplomatic ties with Mexico this week, declaring Sheinbaum persona non grata. The last straw came when the country found out that Mexico was harboring former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Cháve. So, I'm guessing they're not joining Petro's revolution anytime soon either.
Maduro appears to be on his way out, and the man who Venezuelans actually elected, Edmundo González, and his team are also anti-Communism, anti-narco, and extremely pro-U.S. González was elected by the Venezuelan people last July with at least 67% of the vote, potentially more, but Maduro never gave the opposition a chance to finish counting before declaring himself the winner and disappearing anyone who said otherwise.
And if you take a look at Petro's own country, he's not very popular. Both his constituents and his own legislature are fed up with him. He's his country's first left-wing president and, with any luck, the last. He's proven to be ineffective, especially when it comes to fighting narco-terrorism. Cocaine exports are breaking records under his rule. His term is up next summer.
Even beyond South America, there are notable changes. Nayib Bukele, who was reelected in 2024, and his crackdown on crime in El Salvador is the most prominent example. Not only is he extremely popular in his own country, but his stance on organized crime and gang activity and the way in which he handled it has inspired many throughout the Western Hemisphere to experiment with similar models.
While we don't talk about it as much, the Dominican Republic's president, Luis Abinader, is also center-right. He was reelected last year in a landslide and has high approval ratings in his country due to his pro-capitalism, pro-free market, and anti-socialism stances. He's also a major U.S. ally.
Panama's president, José Raúl Mulino, who was elected in 2024, swings to the right, as does Costa Rica's Rodrigo Chaves, who favors free markets over social spending. In Honduras, there are currently significant anti-government protests taking place against leftist president Xiomara Castro.
Latin America appears to be fed up with left-wing policies and trending toward freedom, security, and U.S. alliances. Capitalism over cartels. With Trump and Rubio at the helm, I suspect that momentum can only continue.
So, no, Mr. Petro, I don't think you're going to find a lot of help in South America. In fact, it looks like you're going to find yourself increasingly isolated. The jaguar is, indeed, waking up, but it's not roaring in the direction you think it is.
