Trump and His Impact on the Perception of the USA in Latin America

“I will build a great wall - and no one builds walls better than me, believe me - and I will build them very inexpensively. I will make a great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words,” Donald Trump said in his speech that launched his presidential campaign in 2015. His victory was undoubtedly a major event not only for US foreign policy but also for the perception of the United States as a whole nation abroad. In particular, Trump’s discourse directed at the neighboring Latin American state and at the Latin American immigrants who cross the American-Mexican border may cause a decline of US positive image not only amongst Mexicans but amongst citizens other Latin American states. Moreover, Trump’s emphasis on the building of the wall between Mexico and the USA is constant throughout his speeches. Currently, the federal agencies are paralyzed due to a different view of the President and Congress on the financing of the construction of the wall. It was Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, for whom Latin America was a partner. The Obama administration was able to conclude the Cuban thaw. This was a warming of Cuba-United States relations and it ended a 54-year stretch of hostility between nations and eventually led to first US presidential visit since 1928. Based on data from public opinion polls, the study explores the impact of Donald Trump’s election on the perception of the US among Latin American people. Has there been a loss of trust amongst the people of Latin America in the USA? How was Obama’s administration perceived in the eyes of Latin Americans compared to Trump’s? The study does not only attempt to offer descriptive tables, but regression models and theoretical arguments are used in the study to comprehensively explain the perception of the USA as a nation across Latin America and time. The authors assume a decline of trust in the USA in Mexico that was by Trump’s discourse directly affected, but how do Trump’s speeches and his actions affect other states in Latin America such as Colombia that has been an ally of the USA in the war on drugs?