Policy Comparison: Trump & The "Bukele Model"

Core Relationship: The policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele are increasingly integrated, forming what analysts describe as a "mutual alliance". This comparison shows a direct influence, with Trump's proposed second-term policies adopting key elements of the hardline "Bukele model."

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Key Similarities in Approach

The main parallels between their policies center on security, immigration, and governance tactics.

Trump's Policies

Security Strategy

Focuses on defeating drug cartels and criminal groups by designating them as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and authorizing lethal military strikes, including in the Caribbean under operations like "Southern Spear."

Immigration & Deportation

Aims for record deportations. Notably, his administration has deported over 200 individuals (mostly Venezuelans) to serve sentences in El Salvador's prisons, a move critics say bypasses U.S. legal standards.

Governance & Rule of Law

Has publicly praised Bukele's strongman tactics. His allies, such as Elon Musk, have suggested emulating Bukele's method of impeaching judges to overcome judicial obstacles in the U.S.

Bukele's Model

Security Strategy

Based on a militarized, domestic crackdown under a perpetual "state of exception." This has led to the arrest of over 80,000 alleged gang members with minimal due process.

Immigration & Deportation

Provides prison space in Salvadoran mega-prisons (like CECOT) for individuals deported from the U.S., despite many not being charged with crimes in El Salvador, effectively outsourcing incarceration.

Governance & Rule of Law

Involves consolidating power by controlling the legislature, coopting the judiciary, and systematically undermining democratic checks and balances to enable indefinite executive rule.

🌎 A Key Operational Difference: The U.S. Role

While their tactics align, a fundamental difference lies in scale and method. Trump's policy extends the "iron fist" model into a regional, U.S.-led framework.

The Trump administration has reframed its Latin America strategy around a new "Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine." This doctrine uses U.S. military and economic pressure to demand regional cooperation on migration control, fighting cartels, and countering foreign influence.

In practice, this means the U.S. is not just copying El Salvador but actively promoting and rewarding the adoption of Bukele-style policies across Latin America. The influence flows both ways: from El Salvador to the U.S., and back out across the hemisphere through U.S. power.

Conclusion: A Transnational Alliance

To summarize, Trump's policies do not merely "compare" to the Bukele model—they are increasingly integrated with it, forming a transnational alliance. They share a core playbook of using perceived crises to justify exceptional powers, militarized security, and the erosion of legal safeguards.

The critical distinction is that Trump operates this model from the position of a global superpower, exporting and incentivizing it across Latin America as part of a broader strategy to reassert U.S. dominance in the region.