The ‘world’s coolest dictator’ said all the right things for Trump
Nayib Bukele is a master of optics.
His look was slick – a black suit and long-sleeve black t-shirt beneath – fitting for the man who’s dubbed himself “the world’s coolest dictator”.
And the Salvadorian president said all the right things, aligning his few chosen words with US priorities.
“How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” he replied, when asked if he’d be returning a prisoner deported by mistake.
That will have gone down well in the White House.
The Oval Office has become a diplomatic minefield since Donald Trump returned to power.
Sir Keir Starmer’s letter from the King was considered a masterstroke. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s scrutinising of foreign policy, quite the opposite.
Others, like Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin, said as little as possible while seated next to Trump.
Bukele didn’t say much either, opting for a touch of deference to “the leader of the free world”.
He wants to position El Salvador as a key player in the region, not just a small country in Latin America.
His authoritarian leanings back home may appeal to the US president.
And Bukele is savvy enough to milk that for all it’s worth.
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