“Honduras Awaits Final Election Results as Trump Threatens to Cut U.S. Aid”

According to the latest—but still incomplete—results from the November 30 vote, right-wing candidate Nasry Asfura holds a razor-thin lead. Election officials have described the situation as a “technical tie,” underscoring how tight the contest remains. Trump has been sharply critical of the CNE, accusing it of trying to influence the result by declaring the race too close to call. On his Truth Social platform, he again suggested retaliation if the final outcome doesn’t favor Asfura. Asfura, 67, from the National Party, has campaigned on promises of economic stability, foreign investment, and a harder line on security. Trump has praised him as the “only real friend of Freedom in Honduras,” urging Hondurans to vote for him. His main challenger, 72-year-old Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, presents himself as a centrist reformer committed to restoring the rule of law and fighting corruption. Meanwhile, the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party is represented by Rixi Moncada, 60, who hopes to preserve and deepen President Xiomara Castro’s left-leaning policies. Moncada has vowed to “democratize the economy,” expand credit, strengthen domestic production, and push for constitutional reforms aimed at overhauling the justice system. “Our fight against corruption is head-on and without fear,” she said during the campaign. Polling throughout the election season showed a fractured electorate with no clear favorite—setting the stage for the nail-biting vote count now underway. Trump’s explicit pressure on the Honduran electoral process is drawing criticism from observers, who say it reflects a broader pattern this year of the US president inserting himself into other nations’ internal politics. His threat to cut aid if Asfura loses is especially consequential. Honduras, a country of 11 million and one of the poorest in the region, relies heavily on US economic, development, and security assistance. In 2024, Washington provided nearly $193.5 million in aid, much of it through USAID and programs supporting small businesses, agriculture, education, health, and local governance. About $10 million went directly to the Honduran government. However, the Trump administration shut down USAID earlier this year, leaving unclear how future aid would be managed. Security cooperation also forms a major part of US support, funding police operations, anti-drug efforts, and youth-violence-prevention programs. Experts warn that an abrupt cutoff could severely disrupt policing, weaken already strained public services, and worsen the root causes of migration. Nearly 30,000 Hondurans have been deported from the US since Trump returned to office in January, further shaking an economy where remittances make up roughly 25 percent of GDP. Trump’s involvement in Honduras mirrors his approach in other countries this year. In Venezuela, he has backed efforts seen as aimed at undermining President Nicolás Maduro, including a series of US military strikes on boats Washington claims are linked to drug trafficking—claims the US has not substantiated. In Brazil, he publicly questioned the criminal conviction of former president Jair Bolsonaro, prompting backlash from Brazilian lawmakers who accused him of meddling. He has also escalated rhetoric against Mexico, blaming the government for fentanyl trafficking and raising the threat of tariffs and military action. In Argentina, Trump has thrown his support behind President Javier Milei, warning that the US would reconsider cooperation if Milei’s party loses future elections—even though the next presidential vote is years away. For now, Honduras waits. With the vote count continuing and tensions rising, the country faces not only political uncertainty at home but also growing pressure from its most powerful ally abroad.

NEWS