Odd Lots

James Bosworth on the ‘Orange Wave’ Happening Across Latin America

From Delcy to Milei.

US President Donald Trump poses for a photo at the start of the "Shield of the Americas" Summit at Trump National Doral in Miami on March 7.

Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

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We’re living in an extraordinary moment for Latin American politics. From the ousting of Maduro to the ongoing oil blockade of Cuba to Javier Milei revving up a chainsaw at CPAC. Various leaders in different countries are taking different approaches to their relationship with the US. Each is aware that there is a high value in being close to Trump, but also each know that Trump won’t be the US president forever. So how should we understand the different approaches being taken? Today we talk to James Bosworth, who is the the founder of Hxagon, a company that does political risk analysis and research primarily in Latin America. He is also the author the Latin America Risk Report newsletter. Our conversation with Bos covered what he calls the "orange shift," a region-wide realignment towards dealmaking with the Trump administration. We discuss how Latin American leaders are dealing with inflation, why Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele are so popular, how Brazil's Lula has surprised economic observers, and whether Trump will be able to find a “Delcy” elsewhere in the region.