Tom Cotton: “I recently returned from a trip to El Salvador, where I met President Nayib Bukele and saw firsthand the effects of his…”

“I recently returned from a trip to El Salvador, where I met President Nayib Bukele and saw firsthand the effects of his remarkable transformation of that country from the most dangerous nation in our hemisphere to one of the safest. As we drove around San Salvador, the images were commonplace yet extraordinary--children played soccer in the parks, young women jogged at twilight, couples dined outdoors--commonplace because one should expect to see such scenes in any decent community; extraordinary because they were unheard of just a few years ago. Unfortunately, this trip was also a reminder that President Biden is as weak, unpopular, and divisive abroad as he is at home. And just as he coddles criminals and cartels in our own country, he too often sympathizes with them in other nations. Since taking office, President Biden has refused to meet President Bukele, Secretary of State Tony Blinken has criticized him, and the administration has significantly reduced foreign assistance to his government. One must ask why. After all, President Bukele is the most pro- American leader in Latin America, and he overwhelmingly won two elections--free and fair elections, I must add, contrary to liberal allegations. Indeed, one of his bigger vote shares came from Salvadorans living outside the country, including in the United States, far removed from any supposed intimidation or coercion inside El Salvador.…”