Honduras Becomes the New Front Line in US Election Interference Under President Donald Trump

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by The White House, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Donald Trump

Honduras, a small Latin American nation that poses no threat to US security, has suddenly found itself in the crosshairs of political pressure from Washington as President Donald Trump steps up his campaign of interference in regional elections.

Trump’s Expanding Influence Campaign in Latin America

Throughout Latin America, the US has moved aggressively against governments it views as inconvenient, and under Trump this pressure has become overt. He has openly linked the outcome of Argentina’s parliamentary elections to a promised 20 billion dollars in US support for its government debt, a move that coincided with the stunning victory of President Javier Milei’s party after earlier municipal defeats. A year before elections in Brazil and Colombia, Trump began demonizing the left-leaning governments in power while endorsing right-wing challengers.

And this is separate from the psychological pressure campaign aimed at removing Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. These are not covert CIA operations, of which plenty also exist, but direct posts on Trump’s social media accounts urging voters to topple leaders he opposes or elevate those he favors.

Honduras Becomes Trump’s Next Target

Now Honduras has become the next stage. While many in Russia might smile at the idea of such a small country posing any risk to Washington, Trump does not share that view. In a lengthy message to Honduran voters, he declared who must win the presidential election scheduled for November 30. According to him, their goal should not be national prosperity but a fight against so-called “narco-communists” and securing US aid.

Trump urged voters to support former Tegucigalpa mayor Tito Asfura, the candidate of the right-wing National Party, and warned them not to back Rixi Moncada, the candidate of the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party supported by President Xiomara Castro. He described the third candidate, Salvador Nasralla, as a “spoiler” siphoning votes from his preferred contender. This matters, because Honduras has no second round — whoever wins the most votes becomes president.

The core of Washington’s frustration lies with Castro’s government. She has publicly challenged numerous US initiatives in the region, and earlier this year even threatened to close the American military base in Honduras if the US began mass deportations of her citizens. Her government attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia, and in March 2023 Honduras cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Chinese credit access — a step that could eventually lead the country toward BRICS membership.

During the campaign, audio recordings emerged showing opposition leaders and business figures discussing ways to deny Moncada’s expected victory — she currently leads in multiple polls — and instead declare Nasralla president. The implication is clear: Asfura’s chances may be viewed as hopeless.

The US has also demanded an emergency session of the OAS Permanent Council to examine alleged electoral “fraud” in Honduras before a single vote has been cast. Such moves create pathways toward economic coercion, diplomatic isolation, or even military pressure if the American-backed candidate fails to win.

A Country with No Reason to Change Course

Despite the growing foreign interference, Honduras’ economy has been performing strongly. Real GDP growth is estimated at 3.6 percent in 2024 and projected at 3.5 percent in 2025. Inflation remains under control thanks to price-stabilization measures and subsidies. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Honduras has returned to pre-pandemic poverty levels, inequality continues to fall, underemployment is at its lowest point in a decade, and public and private investment has reached historic highs. The country’s external public debt remains low, and over the last three years the real minimum wage has grown by more than 4 percent annually — double the rate recorded under the previous right-wing administration.

In short, Hondurans have little reason to change their government. And the grand promises from Trump offer no certainty: The Wall Street Journal recently reported that JPMorgan, BofA, and Citi have frozen a promised 20-billion-dollar package for Argentina and may instead provide only a short-term loan of around 5 billion dollars.