Honduras’ ruling party says Trump’s support for conservatives may backfire: ‘It’s a blow to the right’

Honduran Vice Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres led a meeting on Thursday in Tegucigalpa with representatives of leftist movements from across Latin America — featuring a strong presence of Venezuela’s Chavismo movement and Argentina’s Kirchnerism — to present the ruling party’s strategy for the final stretch of Honduras’ elections.

The meeting also addressed comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump, which have further inflamed an already tense election campaign. In a message on Truth Social, Trump endorsed the conservative candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura of the National Party, claiming they could work together to combat drug trafficking. Trump also attacked the other candidates, accusing them of being communists.

Torres, however, welcomed the Republican’s comments, saying it affects the conservative candidates seeking the presidency of Honduras, which goes to the polls on Sunday. “Mr. Trump’s tweet makes me very happy; it has turned this election into something extremely media-driven,” he said. “Trump’s tweet is a blow to the right; it hurts one of their candidates. We are not going to contradict him,” he insisted.

Torres was optimistic about the impact Trump’s comments could have on a sector of the electorate that rejects traditional parties. Many politicians in these parties have been involved in corruption or accused of ties to organized crime — such as former president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced in the United States to 45 years in prison for associating for more than a decade with drug traffickers who paid bribes to ensure over 400 tons of cocaine reached U.S. territory. Hernández rose to the presidency on the back of the conservative National Party, whose current candidate is Asfura — the politician endorsed by Trump.

Trump attacked Rixi Moncada, the candidate of the ruling Libre party, and Salvador Nasralla, a popular television host running for the Liberal Party. “I hope the people of Honduras vote for Freedom and Democracy and elect Tito Asfura President!” Trump posted on Truth Social, accusing the other candidates of being “communists.” “The one who defends democracy and fights against Maduro is Tito Asfura [...]” Trump said. “His main opponent is Rixi Moncada, who says his idol is Fidel Castro. Normally, the intelligent people of Honduras would reject him and elect Asfura, but the communists are trying to deceive the people by presenting a third candidate, Salvador Nasralla.”

Trump’s statements have also drawn reactions from the opposition. Asfura, who describes himself on X as “Papi a la orden” (Daddy at your service), thanked the Republican for his words. “This November 30, we stand firm to defend our democracy, our freedom, and the values that make our country great,” he said, referring to the slogan of the MAGA movement.

Nasralla, meanwhile, offered a nod to Trump in hopes of gaining his support. “All my respect to the great nation that is the U.S., a natural ally of my beloved Honduras,” he posted on X. “I deeply regret the malicious disinformation spread by my political rivals who, knowing they will lose, have taken it to the ears of President Trump’s advisers. Trump deserves all my respect and utmost consideration. When I am elected by my people this Sunday, he will find in me an ally of freedom in Latin America.”

The incendiary comments from the U.S. president, however, produced the opposite reaction from what the ruling party had expected. “If there was anyone who didn’t know there were elections in Honduras this Sunday, now everyone knows,” said Torres. “There are even people who went to look at a map to see where Honduras is and find out who Rixi Moncada is,” he joked. “It puts us in an important position, which creates a wonderful scenario, because Rixi’s victory will be more famous and important. We have no doubt about her victory,” the official asserted.

The comments from Torres, a journalist by profession, illustrate how the Honduran government has fully rallied behind the Libre candidate, even though recent polls indicate Sunday’s election will be a tight race between Moncada, Nasralla, and Asfura.

“An irreparable contradiction”

In the meeting with leftist activists on Thursday, Torres argued that Trump misjudged the divisions within the right. According to the vice foreign minister, Nasralla draws independent, discontented voters — people wary of socialism, opposed to figures like Rixi who admire Fidel Castro, and concerned about countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

“These are right-wing people who opposed the narco-state, who stood with us in 2015 against the embezzlement of social security, and who know what those criminals are,” he said, referring to previous governments. “Trump can tweet all day and those people aren’t going to vote for the return of the conservatives,” he asserted.

Torres pointed out that Trump is calling for votes for Juan Orlando’s party, even though Juan Orlando is imprisoned in the U.S. for drug trafficking. “It’s an irreparable contradiction,” he said.

The official also warned during Thursday’s meeting of “latent threats” facing Sunday’s election. The main concern, in his view, is distrust in the vote transmission system, called TREP. He is worried that the vote count could be flawed or manipulated to benefit opposition candidates.

“They [the Electoral Council] will try to say that Nasry is winning with an irreversible trend, and then even Trump could congratulate him — and that’s when real trouble will erupt in this country,” he warned.

Torres warned that the Electoral Council might try to announce that Nasry is winning with an unstoppable lead, and that even Trump could congratulate him, which could trigger real chaos in the country. The resulting disorder could force new elections, which Torres described as the opposition’s strategy. If this occurs, “Libre won’t stand idly by,” said Torres.

According to the official, the goal of the opposition is to nullify the elections and hold new ones in six months, leaving Libre weakened and allowing the right to win. “The right wing cannot win on Sunday; that needs to be clear and repeated ad nauseam,” he said.

Torres also assured that Libre’s grassroots supporters will mobilize massively on Sunday to vote early and that they will maintain exit poll results, which will be shared throughout the day. He also called on Latin American activists to support Moncada’s candidacy on social media. In addition, he promised them a private meeting Thursday night with former president Manuel Zelaya, Xiomara Castro’s husband, who was removed from power in a military coup in 2009.

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