Why would Bukele make a deal with Trump?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bukele was invited to Trump's inauguration back in January. They have been on good terms for a while.

During Trump's first term he referred to El Salvador as a "sh*thole country".

El Salvador President Bukele at the White House: “Sometimes they say we imprisoned thousands, I like to say that we actually liberated millions.”

I don't think people here can imagine how bad it was in El Salvador. A coworker is from there and would tell me horrifying stories her family members witnessed as she was trying to bring them to the US. Busdrivers being extorted and if they didn't pay their legs were shot and the video was sent to other bus drivers. Other bus drivers were burned alive, pulled out of their buses and stripped naked then their throats were slit.

The real reason I think Bukele is buddy buddy with Trump is that he hopes Trump will delay deporting El Salvadorans who are working and sending back money. In 2023, remittances from Salvadorans in the United States into El Salvador totaled over 8 billion dollars, accounting for 24% of the nation's GDP. El Salvador needs the money to keep flowing.
Bukele is fine with Trump deporting anyone who is remotely connected to any gang if it means other El Salvadorans can stay. They guy deported was wearing gang attire (Chicago Bulls Hat and Hoodie that many MS-13 members wear - the horns are a MS -13 symbol and he had a large tattoo of a lion that was the symbol of a Maryland Latin gang. So maybe they guy just liked the Chicago Bulls and lions but in El Salvador that is enough to get you at least 20 years in the mega prison.

Bukele is a national hero who saved millions from gang-terror when no one else would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bukele was invited to Trump's inauguration back in January. They have been on good terms for a while.

During Trump's first term he referred to El Salvador as a "sh*thole country".

El Salvador President Bukele at the White House: “Sometimes they say we imprisoned thousands, I like to say that we actually liberated millions.”

I don't think people here can imagine how bad it was in El Salvador. A coworker is from there and would tell me horrifying stories her family members witnessed as she was trying to bring them to the US. Busdrivers being extorted and if they didn't pay their legs were shot and the video was sent to other bus drivers. Other bus drivers were burned alive, pulled out of their buses and stripped naked then their throats were slit.

The real reason I think Bukele is buddy buddy with Trump is that he hopes Trump will delay deporting El Salvadorans who are working and sending back money. In 2023, remittances from Salvadorans in the United States into El Salvador totaled over 8 billion dollars, accounting for 24% of the nation's GDP. El Salvador needs the money to keep flowing.
Bukele is fine with Trump deporting anyone who is remotely connected to any gang if it means other El Salvadorans can stay. They guy deported was wearing gang attire (Chicago Bulls Hat and Hoodie that many MS-13 members wear - the horns are a MS -13 symbol and he had a large tattoo of a lion that was the symbol of a Maryland Latin gang. So maybe they guy just liked the Chicago Bulls and lions but in El Salvador that is enough to get you at least 20 years in the mega prison.

Bukele is a national hero who saved millions from gang-terror when no one else would.

He’s also a dictator who had the constitution change so he could run for a second term and who routinely commits human rights abuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP from what I see the President of ElSalvador
approval rating is around 80%.
People love him.
I am not saying majority doesn’t make mistakes.

One wonders why Salvadorans here on TPS don’t return home in droves now that everything is A-OK in Salvador. Sounds a lot safer than the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP from what I see the President of ElSalvador
approval rating is around 80%.
People love him.
I am not saying majority doesn’t make mistakes.

One wonders why Salvadorans here on TPS don’t return home in droves now that everything is A-OK in Salvador. Sounds a lot safer than the US.

Economic reasons.
Hopefully when the economy is booming people will start moving back.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP of this thread. Here is a gift link from today's NY Times article on the topic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/us/politics/trump-el-salvador-prison-deal-takeaways.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Dk8.q9RU.sta17Sqluo4C&smid=url-share


Some takeaways that I already suspected:

1. Bukele does indeed have higher standards than the Trump administration

2. The real devil of every story is Stephen Miller