A Trump victory could push Latin America to the left and away from U.S.

(Photo: John Locher – AP)

Judging from what I heard in recent interviews with several Latin American presidents, a victory by Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election would chill U.S.-Latin American ties, moving even the most pro-American presidents in the region to distance themselves from the United States.

Few Latin American presidents, even the ones who are closest to Washington, would want to risk their domestic political capital countering the near unanimous dislike for Trump in their countries. In recent trips to Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and several other countries, I came across almost no one — including public officials, business people, academics and people on the street — who is rooting for Trump.

In an interview at Argentina’s presidential palace this week, President Mauricio Macri — a center-right former businessman who is trying to steer his country away from the populist anti-American policies of his predecessor, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner — told me that “we feel closer” to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the U.S. race.

“Given the quite isolationist rhetoric of candidate Donald Trump, we would feel more comfortable continuing to work with Hillary Clinton, ” Macri told me. He added that the United States is a country of strong institutions, and that Argentina would work and cooperate with whomever is elected.

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