How should we evaluate Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele?

Bukele has also stated that, given the country’s fiscal constraints—which do not permit unlimited increases in security spending—the government will strive to minimize costs during its crackdown campaigns. In 2021, Bukele announced a constitutional amendment redefining the status of the Supreme Court, granting the president the authority—via executive order—to appoint and dismiss its judges. The newly constituted court promptly began deliberations, citing Guantánamo Bay and CIA counterterrorism operations as precedents, and adding its own theoretical interpretations. It concluded that gang members’ actions over the past several decades constituted a unilateral declaration of war against the Salvadoran state and its people; thus, these individuals were classified as terrorists captured in armed conflict—not ordinary prisoners—and therefore denied standard prisoner rights and exempt from judicial prosecution, which would entail unnecessary expenditure of judicial resources. As for another answer that confines its assessment of Bukele solely to diplomatic rhetoric and labels him a 'harmless right-winger,' such a characterization is not fully acceptable. Indeed, Bukele does possess a leftist background, and unlike other right-wing leaders whose legitimacy rests on anti-leftist platforms, he has not actively antagonized other Latin American leftist governments. Yet this does not mean his domestic policies are truly harmless: from left-wing and liberal perspectives—if one were inclined to criticize—he clearly provides ample grounds for accusations concerning human rights violations, executive overreach, erosion of judicial independence, suppression of opposition across the political spectrum (both left and right), and the construction of a police state. The only reason such criticism remains muted is lack of motivation—not lack of justification. Precisely this point is one I have consistently emphasized: internationally, how you actually govern matters less than whether others have incentive—either to praise or condemn you—for their own strategic gain. Bukele’s amicable relations with leftist governments are entirely understandable: ideology always serves politicians—not the reverse—and politicians bear no obligation to slot themselves rigidly into ideological categories. His anti-crime campaign addresses El Salvador’s internal public security crisis—a matter largely unrelated to left-right divides in Latin America. Beyond crafting a personal image for international propaganda, what urgent reason would he have—unlike Milei—to loudly proclaim himself an anti-leftist vanguard to the entire world? (Note: here ‘left’ includes even Western ‘neo-establishment’ forces; in Milei’s view, even the Davos Forum has veered too far left.) Throughout his political career, Bukele has consistently sought to position himself as the ‘coolest dictator’ for Millennials and Gen Z—vigorously promoting Bitcoin and renewable energy, leveraging gamers for outreach, and engaging directly with cryptocurrency influencers (‘Crypto Bros’) via social media, earning their fanatical support as ‘the world’s first crypto-native president’ and ‘a pioneer of humanity’s future.’ All these efforts stem from the same underlying logic. Conversely, from the standpoint of right-wing ideological debate, Bukele could seemingly serve as a new model in political messaging: the previous decade’s nominally leftist but incompetent governments allowed gangs to run rampant; Bukele descended like a savior, effortlessly outshone the left, and transformed the nation overnight… Yet such messaging requires two conditions: first, the subject’s active cooperation and endorsement; second, alignment with geopolitical imperatives to undermine rivals. Unfortunately, Bukele himself repeatedly insists that traditional left-right divisions are obsolete—especially in El Salvador—and that he is pioneering a new era of depoliticized, post-partisan governance. As for the FMLN, although it severed ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing, it remains relatively low-profile overall and avoids rhetorical posturing abroad. Consequently, foreign right-wingers barely recognize the FMLN—and have never entertained the idea of incorporating it into broader international leftist or communist alliances.

The favorite of Trump’s inner circle: What makes Salvadoran President Bukele so appealing to U.S. conservatives?

On Latin America’s political map, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is reshaping national narrative in an unprecedented way—not through conventional diplomacy or economic reform, but by governing according to ‘influencer logic.’ A former advertising professional, Bukele deeply understands the mechanics of mass communication: from livestreaming drug lord arrests on TikTok, to declaring at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that ‘globalism will die at CPAC,’ to branding his country as a tourist destination defined by ‘surfing, volcanoes, and coffee,’ Bukele is transforming a nation once dubbed the ‘murder capital of the world’ into a global testing ground for right-wing ideology. When he took office in 2019, El Salvador recorded nearly 60 homicides per 100,000 people; by 2024, that figure had plummeted to single digits—the most dramatic public security turnaround in Latin America. But what was the cost? He built the world’s largest prison, CECOT, housing over 47,000 detainees; since 2022, he has enforced a state of emergency suspending constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties; opposition lawmakers have been expelled, independent media suppressed, and judges dismissed. Human rights organizations have condemned his administration for ‘systematic human rights violations,’ while Bukele’s response is startlingly blunt: ‘They’re worried about the human rights of murderers… but they’re human beings too.’ This seemingly paradoxical statement precisely reveals the core of his governing philosophy: order supersedes due process; outcomes trump procedural rules. What truly propelled Bukele beyond Latin America and into the global right-wing spotlight was his deep entanglement with U.S. conservatives. In 2022, during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Bukele spoke in English for the first time on topics like ‘freedom vs. guns’ and ‘God vs. secularism,’ bluntly stating, ‘Free speech is a real threat to them.’ That clip instantly ignited the right-wing ecosystem. Shortly thereafter, he was invited to speak at CPAC—the conservative movement’s annual flagship event—where attendees waved Salvadoran flags and hotel staff held up signs reading ‘We love you, Bukele!’ For a Latin American head of state to receive star treatment at the Republican Party’s ideological home was unprecedented. Even more crucially, he forged an extraordinary personal bond with Donald Trump. The two met only once—in 2019—but maintained frequent interaction on Twitter: Trump called him ‘very tough,’ while Bukele quipped in reply, ‘I’ll bring you a few cans of Diet Coke.’ In February 2025, Elon Musk tweeted, ‘The way to fix El Salvador is to impeach corrupt judges’; Bukele immediately retweeted it, adding emphatically: ‘If you don’t impeach corrupt judges, you cannot fix the country.’

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El Salvador's President Bukele Announces $2.9 Billion Investment by Spain's Cox Energy

El Salvador's President Bukele Announces $2.9 Billion Investment by Spain's Cox Energy

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