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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Steve Bloomfield

Trump wants control of South America. If Bolsonaro Jr wins in Brazil, that could become a reality

Flavio Bolsonaro at a rally in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro state,Brazil,  3 October 2026.
Flavio Bolsonaro at a rally in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, 3 October 2026. Photograph: Bruna Prado/AP

Donald Trump has enjoyed very few foreign policy victories since returning to power. From failed wars to failed peace processes, his second term in office has been marked by one costly blunder on the world stage after another. In Latin America, though, the US president has a different story to tell.

His administration’s national security strategy outlined how the US wanted to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere”. It was a brazen document, laying out how his government would interfere in the political life of countries it considered part of its sphere of influence, rewarding governments and movements that are “broadly aligned with our principles and strategy”.

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