The president of El Salvador recently trolled U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), after Omar attempted to charge him with "threats to democracy."
The exchange occurred on social media.
This took place, according to Fox News, just before Nayib Bukele - who has referred to himself as the "world's coolest dictator" - won his re-election.
It was widely expected that Bukele would win in a "landslide" victory, in part, because of the popularity that he has gained since significantly cutting back on crime in El Salvadore. This is indeed what happened.
Ahead of the election, Omar took to social media calling upon the U.S. government to look into alleged "threats to democracy" that may be taking place in El Salvador.
I led Members of Congress in sending a letter to @SecBlinken urging action on threats to democracy in El Salvador.
The State Dept must review its relationship with El Salvador and defend democratic values. The Salvadoran people deserve free and fair elections without fear of…
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) January 31, 2024
As you can see, Omar's post earned her some fact-checks from the Twitter community. It also earned her a troll from Bukele.
In his response, Bukele essentially expressed happiness that he did not have Omar's support - given her reputation.
The El Salvador president wrote, "We are HONORED to receive your attacks, just days before OUR election. I would be very worried if we had your support. Thank you."
Bukele essentially reasoned that, since Omar's politics are bad, it can only be good that he has received her criticism, which is not necessarily a bad argument. It is an argument, in fact, that is often used here in America.
It ought to be noted that Omar's charge is not completely baseless. Bukele has faced a myriad of allegations, including dictator-type allegations, for the actions that he has taken since first becoming president.
Fox provides some of the relevant background, writing:
Bukele came to power in 2019 and clashed with the Legislative Assembly over policies, including severe restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. His party took control of the national congress in 2021 and started instituting sweeping changes to other branches of government and instituting new laws that allowed him to effectively go to war with the gangs in his country.
In addition to this, there is the fact that, under the El Salvadore Constitution, a president is not allowed to seek re-election, yet Bukele has now found a way to get re-elected.
Despite all of this, Bukele remains extremely popular because he is essentially getting the job done, particularly with regard to crime. The big question going forward is going to be what happens when the people no longer want Bukele.
