Milei, Bukele and Other Latin American Leaders Promptly Congratulate Trump on His Victory

Donald Trump will once again be the president of the United States after defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Major networks, including CNN, declared Trump the winner after he took Pennsylvania after midnight, propelling most outlets to call the election shortly after.

As is customary, world leaders promptly began congratulating Trump. Tones ranged from cautious to outright praise for the Republican, with the notable exception of Mexico's recently elected president Claudia Sheinbaum, who chose to wait to formally recognize a winner in the U.S. presidential election until vote tallies are finalized.

Here are some of the Latin American leaders that took to social media to express their thoughts on Trump's election victory:

Javier Milei

The Argentine president has professed his admiration for Trump in the past and is one of the Republican's most outspoken supporters in the region. He's also one of the most active presidents on X, which is why it's no surprise that he's been publishing and reposting non stop about Trump's victory since it was announced. Most noticeably, he posted a doctored picture of the two embracing with Argentine and U.S. flags behind them, along with a caption that reads:

"My congratulations to President Donald Trump on his electoral victory and return to the presidency of the United States. Democracy is the voice of the people and must always be respected. The world needs dialogue and joint efforts to achieve more peace, development, and prosperity. I wish the new government luck and success."

He's also reposted many other posts from his followers, including a recurring one which shows Trump embracing a lion, a symbol with which Milei is associated:

Nayib Bukele

El Salvador's president has also not been shy about his admiration for Donald Trump, especially his strong stance on crime, which some believe has been inspired by the Republican candidate. He was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on Wednesday by posting a picture of the both of them shaking hands, along with a caption that reads:

"Congratulations to the President-Elect of the United States of America, @realDonaldTrump. May God bless and guide you"

Jair Bolsonaro

The former Brazilian president, who is currently banned from public office for undermining Brazilian democracy by falsely claiming that electronic ballots used in the 2022 elections he lost were vulnerable to hacking and fraud, congratulated his friend Trump with a video montage featuring past moments between the two of them and one of the most heart-felt messages of all world leaders on Wednesday:

- Thank you my God.

- Congratulations@realDonaldTrump

- Psalm 30:5: "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

- Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula da Silva

The man who outed Bolsonaro in 2022 publicly supported Kamala Harris just a few days back, saying that her presidency would be a "much safer" option for strengthening democracy in the United States. He also took a jab at Trump by suggesting he's part of a global trend which is "fascism and Nazism coming back with a different face."

His tone, however, was much more conciliatory on Wednesday, saying through a post on X:

"Congratulations to President Donald Trump on his election victory and return to the presidency of the United States. Democracy is the voice of the people and must always be respected. The world needs dialogue and joint work to achieve greater peace, development and prosperity. I wish the new government luck and success"

José Raúl Mulino

Panama's president, who was elected this year, enjoyed a fruitful relation with the Biden administration, signing an agreement with the U.S. aimed at cracking down on immigration at the infamous Darien Gap which included $6 million in funding for migrant repatriations from the Central American nation. He alluded to the collaboration between both governments through a congratulatory message directed at Trump:

"I congratulate @realDonaldTrump on the victory obtained in the presidential election of the United States and the people of that country for strengthening democracy. We will continue working together on issues of migration, security and international trade."

Edmundo González Urrutia

The Venezuelan opposition leader, who many say won the country's most recent presidential elections and is currently in exile in Spain after being persecuted by the Maduro regime, congratulated Trump through a post on X in which he expressed his desire for the U.S. and the South American country to strengthen their relations:

"I congratulate the President-Elect of the United States, Donald J. Trump,
@realDonaldTrump, on his victory in this democratic day.

The American people have expressed their sovereign will, reaffirming the value of institutions, the democratic spirit and the strength of the alternation that reinforces confidence in the electoral and political institutions of representative democracies.

From the same responsibility as President-elect, I hope that our relations will be strengthened, always for the benefit of our peoples."