 | BY IAN WARD | Presented by Citi | | 
Supporters of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele pose for a snapshot with a man disguised as the president during his inauguration ceremony outside the National Palace in downtown San Salvador on Saturday. | Daniela Rodriguez/AFP via Getty Images | FAN APPRECIATION — As El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele was sworn in for his second term on Saturday, Donald Trump Jr. took to social media to post a video of him palling around with one of South America’s most controversial populists. “[Congratulations] on your victory and amazing accomplishments,” Don Jr. said to Bukele, who stood by with a grin on his face. “And you do it all without having to jail your political opponents!” His trip to San Salvador — where he was joined by a handful of other big-name MAGA emissaries including Tucker Carlson, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, and Kimberly Guilfoyle — was the latest and clearest sign that the right has fully embraced El Salvador’s leader ahead of a potential second Trump term. And Don Jr.’s comment — a not-so-subtle reference to his father’s recent criminal conviction in New York — was true, strictly speaking. But it belied a much deeper irony. Since entering office in June 2019, Bukele has fashioned himself as the world’s self-proclaimed “coolest dictator,” embracing a style of authoritarian rule that has rankled his critics and concerned pro-democracy groups around the world. Although he has not jailed his direct political opponents (nor, for the record, has President Joe Biden), he has ridden roughshod over El Salvador’s democratic norms. In 2020, he ordered the country’s military to occupy its parliament and intimidate the legislature to pass new funding for the country’s security forces, which he has used in his heavy-handed — yet ultimately successful — efforts to combat El Salvador’s notorious gangs and bring down its crime rates. Since then, he has consolidated the power of his political party through a series of dramatic changes to the country’s political and electoral systems , and has successfully pressured the nation’s top court to allow him to serve a second term , even though the country’s constitution technically forbids it. None of this, however, has stopped the American right from enthusiastically embracing Bukele — who began his career as a leftist before refashioning himself as a more explicitly reactionary populist — as a model of strong conservative rule. The embrace did not begin this weekend. In 2023, Florida Republican Sen. (and possible Trump vice presidential pick) Marco Rubio visited Bukele in El Salvador and came away praising him for having “brought freedom ” to the country. Earlier this year Bukele was met with rapturous applause at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), where he delivered a speech with clear Trumpian overtones. Yet the extent of the right’s affection for the “Bukele model ” was more apparent than ever this past weekend. “We got the whole crew here,” Don Jr. pronounced in a TikTok video taken with Guilfoyle over the weekend. “Just promoting those who support freedom around the world.” The MAGA field trip to San Salvador was, at least in part, just savvy diplomatic box-checking: If Trump wins in November, his government will have to work closely with Bukele on a handful of MAGA’s policy priorities, like stemming immigration and combating the illegal drug trade. But it also fits into a more significant trend on the right. Ahead of a possible second Trump administration, the MAGA movement is increasingly looking abroad, both for future political allies and for instructive models of hard-right governance. The right’s embrace of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, for instance, has been extensively documented , but Orbán isn’t the only leader conservatives are looking toward for instruction. In recent months, prominent conservatives have also made overtures to Argentina’s arch-libertarian president Javier Milei (who was also in El Salvador for Bukele’s inauguration) and leading British Brexiteer Nigel Farrage . Trump, meanwhile, has praised a long list of foreign autocrats , calling Chinese president Xi Jinping a “strong gentleman” and saying he “fell in love” with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. Back in the U.S., though, Trump is not alone in cozying up to Bukele. After expressing “deep concerns ” about Bukele’s anti-democratic behavior and keeping his government at arm’s length earlier in its term, the Biden administration has abruptly shifted its attitude toward Bukele , reportedly out of a desire to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the country and based on the recognition that Bukele’s iron-fisted crackdown on gangs and crime has led to a dramatic drop in out-migration from the country. In recognition of this shift, the administration sent a high-profile delegation to Bukele’s inauguration over the weekend, led by Homeland Security Secretary Alejando Mayorkas. Biden’s motivations for embracing Bukele may differ from Trump’s, but ahead of the 2024 U.S. election, Bukele’s tenure holds a lesson for both men. Even with his record of openly anti-democratic behavior, Bukele remains tremendously popular in El Salvador, having won re-election in a landslide. In polls and surveys , voters’ approval of his crusade against the gangs seems to outweigh any concerns over his incipient authoritarianism. (Plus, Bukele has relentlessly harassed his critics.) At least in El Salvador, appeals to safety currently appear to play better with voters than paeans to democracy. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at iward@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @ianwardreports .
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A message from Citi: Over one-third of suppliers reported focusing on nearshoring in 2023. With global flows and geopolitics continuing to change, supply chain resilience has proven to be critical – and as a result, nearshoring is gaining further momentum. Many companies are executing nearshoring strategies to diversify their supply chains, reduce risks associated with distant manufacturing hubs, and move production closer to their end-consumers. Learn more in the Citi GPS Report, The Future of Global Supply Chain Financing. | | | | | — Anthony Fauci defends his Covid response, distances himself from adviser accused of misconduct: Fauci defended his handling of the pandemic in House testimony today, while seeking to distance himself from a longtime aide accused of misconduct. Fauci sought to refute allegations from Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that he tried to suppress the theory that a lab accident in Wuhan, China, caused the pandemic. He said that idea is not a conspiracy theory and that he had kept an open mind about how the pandemic started. He has, however, endorsed a theory that the disease came from an infected animal. — Sen. Bob Menendez files for independent run in NJ amid corruption trial: Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who’s currently on trial on 16 federal corruption counts, filed today to run for reelection as an independent , threatening to become a spoiler in a New Jersey race that Democrats would not normally fret about. The senator announced in March that he would not seek reelection as a Democrat but said he was “hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election.” — Supreme Court won’t hear InfoWars host’s First Amendment challenge to Jan. 6 conviction: The Supreme Court has rejected a petition from Owen Shroyer — an InfoWars host who traversed Capitol grounds with broadcaster Alex Jones amid the riot on Jan. 6, 2021 — seeking to overturn his misdemeanor guilty plea on First Amendment grounds. Shroyer accompanied Jones throughout the day on Jan. 6, helping lead the march from President Donald Trump’s rally to the Capitol while stoking the fury of thousands of Trump supporters who had just attended his “stop the steal” rally.
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| | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY . | | | | | | | WELL SAID! THANK YOU PRESIDENT BIDEN! SPEAKING UP — President Joe Biden issued a rare public statement today on the criminal trial of Hunter Biden , stressing that he would not get involved in the matter legally or politically but conveying his affection for his son. “I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” the statement read. “Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us.” “As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength,” Biden added. The statement from the president came as Hunter Biden’s trial on gun charges got underway in Delaware, and a second over tax-related charges is slated to begin in California later this year. BALLOT ACCESS NEWS — This fall’s presidential ballot in battleground North Carolina appears poised to lengthen after three political movements seeking to run candidates filed voter signature lists with state election officials by a deadline today, reports the Associated Press. Groups that want Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West on the ballot — the We The People Party and Justice for All Party respectively — as well as the Constitution Party had initiated petition drives to receive official party designations. That would allow the groups to field candidates for any position in the November election, not just for president. Based on state law, the proposed parties had to collect at least 13,865 valid signatures from registered and qualified voters and turn in enough signature sheets by noon today.
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President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum waves to supporters at the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, early today. | Marco Ugarte/AP | BREAKING BARRIERS — Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, became the first woman to be elected president of Mexico , winning Sunday’s vote in a landslide. Sheinbaum, 61, received nearly 58 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results from the Mexican electoral office. Sheinbaum is also the first Jewish person to lead one of the world’s largest predominantly Catholic countries. After thanking voters for their support, Sheinbaum emphasized the historical moment. “For the first time in 200 years of the Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” she told supporters. “We have achieved a plural, diverse and democratic Mexico,” Sheinbaum said. “Although many Mexicans do not fully agree with our project, we will have to walk in peace and harmony to continue building a fair and more prosperous Mexico.” Her party, Morena, is expected to have a majority in the legislature, according to projections by the electoral agency. Such a majority would allow her to approve constitutional changes that have eluded current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. FANNING FLAMES — The grisly killing of a police officer — captured on video by an onlooker and shared widely on social media — has sparked a highly emotional debate in Germany about migration and radical Islamism , just days ahead of the European Parliament election. The officer, identified as Rouven L., 29, died Sunday after being stabbed in the back of the head allegedly by a 25-year-old man from Afghanistan, who arrived in Germany in 2014. The political context for the attack could hardly be more sensitive. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party wants to turn this week’s EU election into a referendum on migration policy; the murder could provide just the ammunition it needs. The AfD has struggled lately with a string of recent scandals that appeared to have halted its political ascent and caused it to slip in polls. But wider concern over migration could provide the party with fertile ground. “Our thoughts are with all civil servants who have to put their lives in danger every day because of a misguided migration and security policy,” said the AfD’s national co-leaders, Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel. They called for “secure borders and a fortress Europe,” a stop to immigration and the “repatriation” of Afghan migrants already in the country.
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| | | BIRDS AREN’T REAL — It’s a fake internet conspiracy that’s now turned into a book: The U.S. government allegedly ran a “mass bird genocide” program in the 1950s, and birds have now been replaced entirely by drone-related lookalikes. One of the authors of this conspiracy theory called it an “experiment in misinformation.” And while it is in many ways a silly outgrowth of the internet, the theory also explains a lot about how we can understand how real conspiracy theories spread , writes Ian Beacock in The New Republic. Specifically, the “birds aren’t real” concept rests on the idea that the lack of evidence for their theory only proves that the government has taken on an extended campaign to cover it up — a common refrain in all sorts of real conspiracy theories as well.
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On this date in 1968: A group of seated Poor People's Campaigners faced a line of police during a demonstration outside the Department of Justice in Washington. The demonstrators said they were demanding federal immunity for 13 Mexican-Americans indicted the previous week in an East Los Angeles, Calif., school protest. | Charles Tasnadi/AP | Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here .
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A message from Citi: Over one-third of suppliers reported focusing on nearshoring in 2023.
With global flows and geopolitics continuing to change, supply chain resilience has proven to be critical. As a result, many companies are finding it more relevant to execute a nearshoring strategy, shifting their manufacturing and production operations closer to their primary markets. Benefits associated with nearshoring include helping to diversify supply chains, bolster resilience, and reduce risks associated with distant manufacturing hubs.
Explore this and other supply chain trends in the Citi GPS Report, The Future of Global Supply Chain Financing. | | | | |
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