EXCLUSIVE: President Santiago Peña on What Trump’s Return Means for Paraguay and Latin America

In this episode, we have a special guest: Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña.

Paraguay is a unique country. It is one of only 12 countries in the world that recognize Taiwan instead of communist China.

It is also one of only six nations in the world, alongside the United States, that have moved their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Peña said he made the decision despite immense opposition from other world leaders.

An economist, Peña served as Paraguay’s minister of finance before he was elected president. He assumed office in August 2023 after a landslide victory. During his tenure, Paraguay has seen robust economic growth, outperforming many other Latin American nations. Last year, Moody’s awarded Paraguay an investment grade rating.

In this episode, I ask President Peña about what President Donald Trump’s return to the White House means for Paraguay and Latin America more broadly, his hopes and economic strategy for Paraguay, why he’s concerned about communist China’s influence in the region, and what he thinks about Trump’s recent comments about controlling the Panama Canal and renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.