- Speaking on a panel at the Foro Madrid conference in Santiago, U.S. Ambassador Brandon Judd said Chile is already carrying out the "Donroe Doctrine" and that doing so "becomes very easy" under President José Antonio Kast, according to La Tercera.
- Opposition lawmakers accused Judd of interference and demanded a public response from Kast's government, while the Foreign Minister and Interior co-minister distanced themselves from the remarks without directly rebuking the ambassador.
- Judd's reference to the "Shield of the Americas" program sits awkwardly next to Defense Minister Fernando Barros's own statement, weeks earlier, that Chile has not joined that program and won't decide until November.
Nearly six months into President José Antonio Kast's term, Chile is facing fresh questions about sovereignty and its relationship with Washington, after U.S. Ambassador Brandon Judd told a Santiago audience that Chile is already carrying out Donald Trump's so-called "Donroe Doctrine" — and that Kast's government makes the job unusually easy.
