Written by Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
When I visited Colombia last August as one of the first Colombian-American members of the Senate, I met with members of their legislature, foreign ministers, and other leaders. Regardless of where they stood on the political spectrum, the message from leaders was the same—they were worried about the U.S.-Colombian relationship—one that historically has been one of the strongest in the Western Hemisphere. And one that Trump is wrecking.
Since that trip, Trump went on to decertify Colombia, cutting foreign aid that equips the country to combat drug trafficking. He then sanctioned the President of Colombia, President Petro, and sparred with him in dueling public comments filled with personal insults.
I have been clear about my criticisms of the Petro regime. I have pushed him directly on doing more to combat the drug-trafficking in Colombia that eventually reaches Arizona’s southern border. But instead of leading with ego as Trump has done, the United States needs to be a stabilizing force in the region.
The Administration’s posture towards Colombia echoes its broader policy in Latin America of going in with gunboat diplomacy instead of strengthening our alliances in the region. We are a little over one year into a second Trump Presidency and he has already invaded Venezuela and kidnapped Maduro; threatened to bomb one of our closest allies, Mexico; and imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil based on his sympathy for right-wing former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, despite our consistent trade surplus. One of his first actions in his second term was levying reckless tariffs on countries. The rationale was not based on whether a country engaged in unfair trade practices, but rather as a way to dole out punishment and rewards regardless of how it hurts American workers and consumers.
Trump approaches foreign policy and trade like a mob boss, believing that if a country fears the U.S., they will obey the U.S.
But if the U.S. keeps going down this road, we won’t have partners in the Western Hemisphere to fight against threats to our security.
The Trump administration claims its aggressive foreign policy approach is about putting America first. But in reality, picking fights with and threatening our Latin American allies destroys the very partnerships we need to counteract adversaries like China and makes us less secure.
We should be working closely with our allies instead of driving them right into China’s arms.
Right now, China is investing aggressively in Latin America. Beijing is financing ports, telecommunications infrastructure, digital networks, and critical mineral mining hoping to shape Latin America’s future economy. China is already the second-largest trading partner for Latin America after the U.S.
Every time we push our allies away, China cements its influence.
We need to counter this influence with a better alternative – a North-South security strategy for the Americas.
First, that starts with packing up the egoistic power trips, acting like adults, and working with our allies in a way that strengthens America’s national security.
Second, we need to incentivize Latin America to partner with the U.S. first. We need a modern Marshall Plan for the Americas to counter China’s influence. If a country needs to modernize a port, we should be able to say “here’s competitive financing, here’s a timeline, here are the labor standards.” If an ally wants to expand their telecommunications infrastructure, we should be offering them technology that protects their data. And instead of letting China dominate the space for critical minerals for batteries, AI, and clean energy, we should be investing to create U.S. company capacity and building those supply chains together across the Americas. If we work in unison, we have the dominance to ensure the future is written by us, not by Beijing.
The same logic applies to countering criminal networks. And as a border-state Senator, I know firsthand that we have a stronger shot at fighting cartels and stopping dangerous drugs from coming across our southern border when we’re working with Latin America countries not actively alienating them.
The Trump worldview is not the dominant view of American foreign policy – I make a point of telling that to every foreign leader I meet. There are leaders in the U.S. who still believe in diplomacy.
But what Trump is doing right now weakens our alliances, destabilizes the Western Hemisphere, emboldens China, and makes everyone less safe. America First has turned into America Last.
And the sooner we return to a foreign policy grounded in cooperation, the safer the Western Hemisphere will be.
Senator Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps veteran and Democrat representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate since 2025, after previously serving a decade in the House and becoming the first Latino elected to the Senate from his state.
