ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Fox & Friends to Discuss Trump’s Success in Latin America

WASHINGTON-United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, yesterday joined Fox & Friends to discuss President Donald Trump's national security successes in Latin America.

Partial Transcript

Hagerty on the Trump admin's success in Latin America: "I think you're exactly right, Brian. It is just the beginning. But we're seeing a sea change in all of Latin America. If you look at the National Defense Strategy, if you look at our National Security Strategy, the emphasis on Latin America has been enormous. [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio was formerly my colleague in the United States Senate on the Foreign Relations Committee. He understands this area very well and, as our Secretary of State, is doing an outstanding job. And we're seeing a tremendous reinvigoration of our relationships in Latin America. China has been, as you know, particularly under the last administration, very aggressive, in terms of moving into the area. Now, America is showing back up economically, strategically, and working together militarily to deal with some of the greatest threats that we've got in that region."

Hagerty on securing the southern border: "The answer is yes, and the key element of all of this is President Trump's immediate move once he took office to secure our southern border. That was actually the fundamental requirement to be able to deal with the rest of Latin America, to stop the economic flow, to stop the drug flow, to stop the flow in human trafficking that has been feeding these cartels and these illicit narcoterrorists. Once that was secure, we've been able now to step in and take strategic and economic moves that are totally changing the face of Latin America, and again, moving Latin America back where it should be, into our corner."

Hagerty on preventing adversaries from gaining control in Latin America: "You heard President Trump mention that he's not going to allow these entities to have a foothold in our region. And you just mentioned it: China, Russia, even North Korea has a very large embassy in Cuba. China was setting up intel operations under the Biden administration in Cuba. Russia, we know the relationship there has gone back, as you said, all the way to John F. Kennedy. We have been dealing with this ninety miles off of our shore. My understanding is that Secretary Rubio has had discussions with Raulito Castro, that's the grandson of Raul Castro. I don't think they'd be talking unless they're looking at some significant change. And we need to see the change for the better in this region. Again, that foothold, I think, is going to disappear, thanks to President Trump's aggressive and bold actions here."

Hagerty on Trump's strong action in Venezuela: "That's precisely the choice, I think, that people are facing. They see that President Trump is serious, and the prosecution that's going to take place in the Southern district of New York-that is very serious, indeed, with respect to Maduro. It sends a strong message to all of these narcoterrorists that this administration means business, that the United States is back."

Hagerty on Venezuela's new government: "That's certainly the conversation that's going on [right now].That we're moving in the right direction. Rodriguez is cooperating with us. Secretary Rubio is very much on top of this situation and, I think, is confident that it's moving in the right direction. I have immanent faith in his viewpoint on this, so I think we are moving in the right direction and toward a position where Venezuela can be great again. It was once a thriving economy. The socialist leftist regimes have destroyed that. We're going to help bring it back. They have natural resources that are meaningful not only to that country, but also to the region. We're seeing, again, the impacts, as you mentioned earlier, Brian, on [Cuba], by choking off the free oil that had been going in that direction. So, I think, it's going to a profound effect-the reconstruction of Venezuela is going to have a profound effect on the region."

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