Let me tell you about the time I bought a mango from a Honduran street vendor in Miami back in 2019. We talked politics while he sliced the fruit with a machete sized knife which honestly felt more stable than most Congressional hearings. As juice dripped down my forearm he said something I never forgot. When America votes the world watches. When Honduras votes America doesn t even change the channel. Well amigos grab your tajadas because this week Honduras slapped the snooze button on the left wing establishment s siesta party and oh how the tables have turned.

You probably heard about this circus only because President Trump stepped in with that signature unscripted flair that terrifies cable news producers. Days before Hondurans headed to the polls he did two things. First endorsed their capital s former Mayor Nasry Asfura and second promised to pardon their ex president in prison on US drug charges. The New York Times clutched its pearls about interference but let me ask you this. When has America NOT meddled in Latin America? At least Trump was refreshingly honest about picking a side while the current administration sends mixed messages hidden in five paragraph diplomatic cables nobody reads.

Mr Asfura isn t some polished globalist darling either. Folks call him Papi. Papi. Which if you don t speak Spanish is basically that uncle who fixes your carburetor while grumbling about taxes. His opponent was literally a TV sportscaster named Salvador Nasralla. This isn t some House of Cards reboot. It s two regular dudes without law degrees or trust funds going head to head. But of course mainstream outlets framed it as chaos when in reality it s democracy without the Hollywood filter.

I remember interviewing Cuban Americans during the 2020 elections in Florida. The way older voters spoke about US involvement abroad carried bone deep resentment. My Abuela knows the exact date in 1961 when Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs she d tell me stirring cafecito so hard the spoon chipped the mug. But when Trump talks foreign policy without apology they hear honesty not arrogance. There s a reason Honduran crowds danced in the streets when early results showed Papi leading. His folksy retail politics feel more real than some bureaucrat lecturing from Washington.

Gallup did this wild poll last year showing 69% of Hondurans distrusted their government institutions. 69%. We think WE re cynical. Then along comes Trump backing a guy nicknamed Tito promising to lock the criminals up drain the swamp and build the wall. Sound familiar? The media paints this as Trump exporting MAGA but maybe it s simpler. People recognize hustle when they see it. The Asfura campaign literally used the slogan Make Honduras Safe Again in Spanish obviously but the contrast couldn t be clearer. He s not hiding behind NGOs and five point plans. He s saying what everyone s thinking which either terrifies or thrills you depending on whether you profit from the status quo.

The left wing candidate Rixi Moncada trailed so badly the Associated Press called it historic collapse before votes were even fully counted. Whoops. But folks this isn t about left versus right. It s about insiders versus outsiders. Mr Nasralla the sportscator candidate ran as an anti corruption crusader. President Trump once hosted WrestleMania. Populism is speaking the language of the people even if academia thinks it s improper grammar.

What cracks me up is watching pundits freak out over Trump influencing foreign elections now. Sweethearts where were these ethics lectures when Obama campaigned for Macron or Biden pressured Israel on settlements. Suddenly Fox News cares about international sovereignty while CNN discovers Honduran geography. The hypocrisy stinks worse than my gym bag after Zumba class.

The real story isn t who wins but what it says about global politics shifting right under our fanny pack wearing Beltway class. The working folks in Tegucigalpa don t want think tank solutions dropped like manna from Washington. They want safe streets jobs and to not be talked down to by diplomats with ivy league accents thicker than their cortaditos. Is it any surprise they d gravitate toward a leader who speaks plainly takes bold action and doesn t apologize for prioritizing national sovereignty.

My Honduran mango guy texted me this morning. He said For once the gringos sent us something better than expired flu shots. They sent common sense. Maybe the chattering class should fly down there and taste the reality. First round of baleadas is on me.