Donald Trump will host Latin American and Caribbean leaders on Saturday at his golf club for the "Shield of the Americas Summit" — an event aimed at rallying allies around US national security interests and countering China's growing influence in the region.
While the US spent much of the last decade focused elsewhere, China is now the region's top lender and trading partner, financing major projects like the $3.5bn (£2.6bn) Chancay megaport in Peru and the Bogotá metro in Colombia, among others.
Now, the American government wants to reclaim lost ground. But experts warn that establishing meaningful relationships will take more than military posturing, tariffs, and strong-arming.
Leading the diplomatic effort is Kristi Noem — dismissed by Trump this week as Secretary of Homeland Security — who has been tapped as special envoy for the summit. "In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise," Noem wrote on X following her firing.
She will be joined by conservative leaders from eight nations — Argentina, Paraguay, El Salvador, Chile, Panama, Honduras, Guyana, and Ecuador — who share ideological ties with the Trump administration. Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil will be absent.
