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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia

@ricardovalp.bsky.social
428 followers 225 following 485 posts

🇸🇻🇺🇸 Associate Prof California State Fullerton. Columnist elfaro.net. RT≠like,endorsement. Posts are my own. Go Dodgers!

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Reposted by Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The techbros don't want you to see this trailer. Pass it on.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Darth Vader Bukele: my political comparison of Nayib Bukele to the authoritarian imagery of Darth Vader.
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Reposted by Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia
Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“Climate change is bankrupting ranchers.” Seven Colorado ranchers are speaking out in a major climate case that soon will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. They say big oil companies should be held accountable for their role in causing climate change. www.latimes.com/environment/...
latimes.com
Global warming is ruining their way of life. These Colorado ranchers demand accountability
Colorado ranchers struggling with severe drought and heat have filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a climate case that soon will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Lots of American democratic socialists would be considered moderate social democrats in much of the world. Until 2016, @BernieSanders was practically a one-man club. Now, that movement has grown to include dozens of elected officials. Instead of attacking them, Democrats should welcome them.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Delay it, please. Wait until after November and strengthen the regulations. Don’t let the crypto baron off the hook. rollcall.com/2026/08/18/c...
rollcall.com
Crypto bill in limbo as stakeholders ramp up recess efforts
A five-week wait on a crucial Senate vote on major cryptocurrency legislation has opened wide a window of opportunity for both advocates and opponents of the measure, which would flesh out in greater ...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The future of American soccer! It makes me so happy!
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I lived in Denmark, and I can tell you that Trump is soft compared with the anti-immigrant sentiment there. Both liberals and conservatives can be pretty extreme on immigration. Denmark is not exactly a good model for progressives. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
euronews.com
Meloni, Frederiksen reiterate opposition to 'uncontrolled immigration'
Meloni and Frederiksen issued a joint statement rejecting "uncontrolled immigration," calling for third-country return hubs and citing shared European values they vowed to defend. #EuropeNews
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It seems the British far right has already reached out to El Salvador about a deal to jail immigrants with criminal records in Bukele’s torture chambers. Bukele is increasingly becoming the U.K. and U.S. right’s sicario—outsourcing the dirty work they don’t want to do themselves.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Don't be afraid. Fight back.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Bukele is a dictator, and he seems particularly sensitive when people point that out. He also presides over a mediocre economy, an unattractive investment climate, and a cost of living that many people can no longer afford.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
En 2011, las ideas de que había "demasiados" negros y árabes en Francia encontraron eco en la Federación Francesa de Fútbol. Incluso se discutió limitar el acceso de jóvenes no blancos, de apenas 12 o 13 años, a los centros de formación y academias. www.theguardian.com/world/2011/a...
theguardian.com
France football heads mired in race row over alleged quotas for ethnic players
Senior heads of national team allegedly approved system to limit black players and those of north African origins
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I often teach my Mexican American students glimpses of Mexican history, even though I'm not Mexican. I’ve also known the words to the Mexican national anthem for years.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Few weeks ago, I spoke with an activist involved in efforts to protect Salvadorans with TPS. He told me that much of their hope rested on this SCOTUS case. Now, the ruling gives the administration the green light to end TPS protections and potentially deport thousands. apnews.com/article/immi...
apnews.com
The Supreme Court lets the Trump administration end legal protections for Haitians and Syrians
The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to pot...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Antes experimentaban con cuerpos humanos. Hoy pueden experimentar con datos. Escribo en @elfaroenglish.bsky.social sobre cómo Bukele puede convertir El Salvador en laboratorio para gigantes tecnológicos como Google y Nvidia. beta.elfaro.net/opinion/buke...
beta.elfaro.net
Bukele convierte El Salvador en laboratorio de Silicon Valley
No se trata hoy de experimentos médicos sobre cuerpos humanos, sino de experimentos sobre información privada. Pero en ambos casos aparece una misma lógica: poblaciones vulnerables convertidas en mate...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
My column: El Salvador Embarks on a Perilous A.I. Experiment
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Europe will save us, some say. Meanwhile, Friedrich Merz is bootlicking Trump.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
If you want to see the risks of unregulated AI in a country with weak privacy protections and a brutal dictatorship, look at the creation of large-scale "synthetic citizens" built from citizens' personal data in El Salvador 1/3 www.eldiariodehoy.com/negocios/el-...
eldiariodehoy.com
El gobierno salvadoreño ya creó un millón de «ciudadanos virtuales» para entrenar sistemas de IA
Con apoyo de NVIDIA y la empresa tecnológica WideLabs, el gobierno desarrolló una base de datos de un millón de perfiles sintéticos (ficticios) que buscan reproducir las características demográficas d...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Bukele’s AI strategy is as hollow as its creators, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert, the same people who promised #Bitcoin would make El Salvador richer. It’s basically a refurbished version of the same #Bitcoin illusions, now wrapped in AI jargon. My take 🧵
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
No has leído mi columna en El Faro y querés escucharla? El Faro Audio la tiene en YouTube y en todas las plataformas de podcasts. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYdm...
youtube.com
Opinión | El régimen de excepción de Bukele ya no es un tema marginal en Washington
YouTube video by El Faro
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I wrote on @elfaroenglish.bsky.social about what appears to be a shift in Washington’s tone toward Bukele’s brutal state of exception. @tlhumanrights.bsky.social shows the issue is becoming bipartisan—and there are fissures in Republican discourse. beta.elfaro.net/en/opinion-e...
beta.elfaro.net
Bukele’s State of Exception Is No Longer a Marginal Issue in Washington
It would be naive to think that Trump will make a 180-degree turn in policy toward El Salvador. But as a recent hearing in Washington suggests, concern is growing within sectors of Trump’s coalition a...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
U-turn hits just before the @frontlinepbs.bsky.social @elfaroenglish.bsky.social report. NYC Prosecutors unveiled evidence against top Salvadoran gang leaders, signaling the case could move forward—even after Bukele asked Trump to return them following their earlier release. x.com/HsilvAvalos/...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Tomorrow, Frontline and El Faro may reveal more on the migration deal between Nayib Bukele and Donald Trump—and the shadow negotiations between Bukele and gangs. For Trump, it backfired fast—triggering backlash and eroding support. For Bukele: what did he gain—and at what cost? 🧵
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Bukele’s brother/adviser Ibrajim—the same one who asked @secrubio.govpeeps.us to extradite MS-13 members in exchange for holding U.S. deportees in CECOT—now admits an anonymous cabinet group decides who’s “innocent.” Not the courts—the Bukele family.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
After the Bukele deal—sending U.S. deportees to what many called torture chambers—blew up in public opinion, Trump appears to be shifting tactics: cozying up to distant autocrats while cutting softer deals with countries in the hemisphere ( Costa Rica) www.nytimes.com/2026/04/04/w...
nytimes.com
Trump Wants to Make Deportation Deals. Autocrats Are Ready to Listen.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
In 1984, @frontlinepbs reported from El Salvador, interviewing ordinary people during the civil war. The government claimed Salvadorans were free—yet no one dared speak openly. Decades later, the parallels are hard to ignore.Watch the clip below.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Recuerdo cuando uno de los hermanos de Bukele me llamó arrogante por decir que tengo un doctorado. ¿El hermano del presidente? ¿Heredero de millonario? Sí, tengo un doctorado, pero soy hijo de la clase trabajadora. Como decia Ellacuría: con los poderosos, firmeza; con los humildes, humildad.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Acuerdo Trump-Bukele para encarcelar deportados salió caro a Trump. Semanas después, aprobación migración se desplomó, ahora por suelos.Desde entonces, ES quedó fuera acuerdos con terceros países. + detalles: @frontlinepbs.bsky.social El Faro abril 7. www.pbswesternreserve.org/blogs/progra...
pbswesternreserve.org
Frontline, The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador | PBS Western Reserve
The Salvadoran president’s deal with Trump to imprison deportees and what each stood to gain.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Soon we might learn more through @frontlinepbs.bsky.social and @elfaroenglish.bsky.social but deal between Trump & Bukele to jail US deportees did not work in favor of the US. Within weeks,Trump’s immigration approval turned negative. Year later, he burned his signature issues & scaled back plans
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Mar 15–16, 2025: Trump deported ~200 Venezuelans—along with Kilmar Abrego—to prison camps in El Salvador, defying a judge’s orders to advance his mass deportation agenda. A year later, it’s seen as his first major political misstep. More from @FrontlinePBS + @ElFaro on Apr 7
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Looking forward to @frontlinepbs.bsky.social and @elfaroenglish.bsky.social collab on how Trump and Salv dictator Bukele teamed up—and what each gets from a deal that violates U.S. law and human rights.Premieres Apr 7 on @pbs.org and online www.facebook.com/reel/1323254...
facebook.com
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Before preaching the “Salvadoran miracle” , remember: 84.1% of people there live on under $435 a month. www.eldiariodehoy.com/negocios/el-...
eldiariodehoy.com
El 84.1% de los salvadoreños gana, en promedio, menos de $435 al mes, según los datos de la EHPM
El ingreso de la mayoría de los salvadoreños apenas alcanza para cubrir lo básico. Según la última Encuesta de Hogares, el 84.1% de la población ocupada gana menos de $435 al mes, en un contexto donde...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The American superpower has long drawn people from around the world and made them “Americans.” Once it loses that ability, the U.S. will begin to decay—just as Europe has. www.ocregister.com/2026/04/01/t...
ocregister.com
Trump plans to attend Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on his bid to limit birthright citizenship
A definitive ruling from the Supreme Court is expected by early summer.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My latest column in El Faro: why Bukele and his government fear a crimes-against-humanity report—and how it edges them closer to an ICC probe, like Maduro and Duterte. I spoke with one of the report's expert. beta.elfaro.net/opinion/los-...
beta.elfaro.net
Los fantasmas de Maduro y Duterte acechan a Bukele
Uno de los autores del informe GIPES sobre El Salvador habló conmingo sobre el impacto de su trabajo. “Bukele es joven y puede ver cómo este proceso se desarrollará frente a él, sobre todo porque esto...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
So the Salvadoran “miracle” is real—but investors are fleeing? FDI down 37%.My take: propaganda is a bubble—global capital doesn’t buy into high-risk, low-reward regimes. www.laprensagrafica.com/economia/la-...
laprensagrafica.com
La inversión extranjera directa en El Salvador se redujo un 37 % en 2025 - La Prensa Gráfica
El monto de inversión captado en 2025 ascendió a  $474.8 millones,  la cifra más baja desde 2022, según datos del BCR.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Mi columna en El Faro sobre por qué Bukele y su Gobierno muestran terror ante un informe sobre crímenes de lesa humanidad en El Salvador y cómo los acercan a una investigación de la Corte Penal Internacional como Maduro y Duterte. Conversé con uno de sus autores beta.elfaro.net/opinion/los-...
beta.elfaro.net
Los fantasmas de Maduro y Duterte acechan a Bukele
Uno de los autores del informe GIPES sobre El Salvador habló conmingo sobre el impacto de su trabajo. “Bukele es joven y puede ver cómo este proceso se desarrollará frente a él, sobre todo porque esto...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Months ago, writing about Honduras, I argued Bukele’s role as Washington’s main immigration “enforcer” was already shrinking. One key reason: U.S. domestic politics—El Salvador’s human rights record is simply radioactive for Trump🧵 beta.elfaro.net/en/opinion-e...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
This is an example of how one element of the Shield of the Americas is turning Latin American armies into Washington’s personal militia, acting on the worst instincts of this administration. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/w...
nytimes.com
The U.S. Said It Helped Bomb a Drug Camp. It Was a Dairy Farm.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
@efe.com me entrevistó sobre las revelaciones de César Chávez: desmontar mitos también es justicia. “Estos logros no fueron individuales: mujeres como Dolores Huerta fueron fundamentales.” www.infobae.com/america/agen...
infobae.com
Escándalo de César Chávez impulsará el reconocimiento a mujeres activistas, dicen expertos
Escándalo de César Chávez impulsará el reconocimiento a mujeres activistas, dicen expertos
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
My column in El Faro about the Shield of the Americas and how the Trump administration's diplomacy oscillates between blackmail and the exploitation of world leaders' vanities. Latin American governments and their armies are aspiring to become private armies in Trump’s employ.
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Reposted by Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia
El Faro English @elfaroenglish.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
The Shield of the Americas seeks to impose a militarized agenda against drug trafficking, writes @ricardovalp.bsky.social in #efOpinion. In return, Trump rewards certain leaders, from traditional conservatives to crypto-authoritarians, with a semblance of friendship. beta.elfaro.net/en/opinion-e...
beta.elfaro.net
Trump Deals In Blackmail and Flattery with Latin American Militaries
The Shield of the Americas seeks to impose a militarized agenda against drug trafficking. In return, Trump rewards certain leaders, from traditional conservatives to crypto-authoritarians, with a semb...
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
ReVista: @harvard.edu Review of Latin American Studies, published my review of Rick Rockwell’s book on Latin American journalism. Also, I noted how journalism has changed since the emergence of digital media such @elfaroenglish.bsky.social revista.drclas.harvard.edu/a-review-of-...
revista.drclas.harvard.edu
A Review of The History of Journalism in Latin America
While writing my MA thesis at the University of Hamburg on ideological bias in Salvadoran newspapers, I read Rick Rockwell's book, Media Power in Central America. At the time, in the late 2000s, Rockw...
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Reposted by Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia
Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
I promise you that the government that murdered Alex Pretti and Renee Good does not give a flying fuck about the protests in Iran.
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Reposted by Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia
Congressman Greg Casar @repcasar.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
I’m sick and tired of politicians sending other people’s kids to fight and die in endless wars. It’s not D.C. politicians whose lives get put at risk. It’s not their billionaire donors’. It’s working class kids. Enough.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
After calling for a new world order without the U.S., 🇨🇦 folds to the very policy that humiliates it and attacks its sovereignty. No new wars!
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Europe folded like a kebab—thankfully, the European Union rode in to rescue liberal democracy.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Between lines, @bloomberg.com suggests that Bukele may be expecting Trump to bail him out—just as he did with Argentina—and sidestep the IMF: "(R) question of whether El Salvador may ditch the IMF program altogether and, instead, rely on the US as financial backer" www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Bitcoin Rout Exposes Bukele’s Gamble and Hits El Salvador Debt
Bitcoin’s crash has hit few places as hard as El Salvador, exposing the risks of President Nayib Bukele’s high-stakes embrace of crypto and whipsawing the country’s debt markets.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
After blood, sweat, and snow, the people of Minnesota, along with the solidarity of the people of the US, forced ICE to leave Minnesota. Abolish and dismantle ICE. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
nytimes.com
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Bad Bunny’s halftime show proves the enduring power of the American Dream myth. Much of it is fiction, but the part that may be real is the elasticity of U.S. identity. Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen, singing in Spanish, breaking viewership records. This cultural elasticity is what made me leave Europe
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Reposted by Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia
Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 05/02/2026
If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy.
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Dr. Ricardo J. Valencia @ricardovalp.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
People compare Bukele to Milei, Noboa, Kast or Asfura. But among them, Bukele has the weakest relationship with Washington. Why? He bet everything on Trump’s orbit, bypassed traditional conservatives (exception Rubio) and moderates, and turned Democrats into enemies 🧵
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