Trump launches 17-nation Americas cartel coalition at Doral
Summit hosted at Trump's own resort with Mexico, Canada, and Brazil conspicuously absent
Summit hosted at Trump's own resort with Mexico, Canada, and Brazil conspicuously absent
Trump hosted the Shield of the Americas summit at his Trump National Doral Miami resort — a private, for-profit property that he owns — rather than at a government facility, State Department venue, or neutral international location. This is the same resort where Trump has previously proposed hosting the G7 summit. Using a president's personal business as a venue for a multilateral foreign policy event creates a financial arrangement where foreign governments attending the summit — directly or indirectly — contribute to the president's personal revenue. The State Department's ethics guidelines generally prohibit federal employees from using their positions for personal financial benefit, but those rules apply differently to the president. CBS News State Department
Essential concepts and terms to understand this topic
An organized group of criminals or businesses that work together to control markets and eliminate competition
Formal official relationships between sovereign states conducted through embassies, ambassadors, and international negotiations.
Countries working together on shared problems
Government formed by alliance of multiple political parties.

President of the United States; owner, Trump National Doral Miami
Trump convened the summit at his own resort, signed the proclamation launching the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition, called on foreign leaders to deploy their militaries against cartels, threatened Cuba from the podium, and framed the coalition as a mission of 'Western Christian civilization.' His dual role as president and resort owner at the summit venue created a financial interest in the event's success and in the attendance of foreign governments.
Secretary of Defense
Hegseth addressed the assembled foreign leaders and framed the coalition's mission in explicitly religious terms, telling the group they must remain 'Christian nations, under God.' His framing went beyond the operational anti-cartel agenda to position U.S. military alliances as rooted in shared religious identity — a departure from traditional U.S. foreign policy framing.
Secretary of State
Rubio attended the summit and participated in the coalition announcement. As a Cuban American from Miami, Rubio has long advocated for a hard-line U.S. posture toward Cuba and Venezuela. His presence gave the summit's Cuba and Venezuela messaging additional credibility with the Latin American attendees and with the Cuban American political constituency in South Florida.
President of El Salvador
Bukele, one of the highest-profile attendees, has become a model for Trump's vision of authoritarian security governance — he suspended constitutional rights and deployed the military against gangs in El Salvador, dramatically reducing homicide rates by most official measures while drawing criticism from human rights organizations for mass detentions without trial. His attendance at Doral signaled alignment with Trump's approach to cartel policy.
President of Argentina
Milei, a libertarian economist and Trump ally, attended the summit as one of the region's most ideologically aligned leaders. His presence alongside Bukele and smaller Caribbean and Central American states reinforced the coalition's profile as an ideologically filtered alternative to the broader Latin American community.
President of Cuba
Díaz-Canel was not invited to the summit and issued a pointed rejection of its premise, calling it 'small, reactionary, and neocolonial.' His response marked the official Cuban government position and reflected the collapse of any remaining diplomatic opening between Cuba and the United States. Trump's threat to turn U.S. attention to Cuba after Iran makes Díaz-Canel a potential future subject of U.S. executive military or coercive action.
Former Senior Director, National Security Council; scholar, University of California San Diego
Feinberg, who served on the Clinton NSC and helped design the original 1994 Summit of the Americas, offered the most detailed academic criticism of the Shield of the Americas summit to France 24. He called it a symbol of 'crouched defensiveness' compared to the 1994 gathering's vision of hemispheric partnership. His critique framed the new summit not as a policy upgrade but as a retreat from U.S. hemispheric leadership.
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Trump hosted the summit at his own for-profit resort
Trump National Doral Miami is a private golf resort owned by the Trump Organization. Hosting a multilateral government summit at a president's personally owned commercial property is unusual and raises the same emoluments concerns that Trump faced when he proposed hosting the G7 there in 2019. [1]
Sources
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Mexico was excluded from the Shield of the Americas summit
Mexico was not among the 17 participating nations, according to all coverage of the event. Mexico's absence is particularly significant because the stated goal of the coalition — combating drug cartels — is fundamentally dependent on Mexican cooperation, since most of the fentanyl and other synthetic drugs entering the U.S. are processed or transited through Mexico. [1]
Sources
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China traded more with Latin America than the U.S. did in 2024
France 24 reported China traded $518 billion with Latin America in 2024. China became South America's largest trading partner in 2023. These figures underscore that the U.S.'s ability to lead a Latin American coalition depends on economic relationships that are eroding as China's regional presence grows. [1]
Sources
Ask your senator whether the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition requires Senate ratification
civic action
Trump announced a multilateral military coalition at his own resort through a presidential proclamation, without Senate ratification. Whether that commitment requires a treaty vote — and whether committing foreign militaries to combat operations meets the constitutional threshold for a treaty — is an unresolved legal question your senators can publicly stake out a position on.
Research the history and purpose of the Summit of the Americas
research
The Summit of the Americas has convened 35 nations since 1994. Understanding what that multilateral forum accomplished — and what the U.S. gains and loses by replacing it with a smaller, ideologically filtered coalition — puts the Shield of the Americas in the full context of hemispheric relations.
Track the foreign terrorist organization designation for cartels and its legal effects
research
Trump's FTO designation for Mexican cartels unlocks specific military and legal authorities — including AUMF powers and material support prohibitions. Lawfare has published detailed legal analysis of what that designation allows and what legal constraints remain.