SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
President Trump met with Latin American leaders this morning in Miami and pushed for greater use of the military to fight drug cartels. The President calls it the Shield of the Americas summit. It is also a push against the influence of China throughout Latin America, but several of the region's leaders will not be attending, including representatives of the two largest economies. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez joins us. Franco, thanks so much for being with us.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Thanks for having me, Scott.
SIMON: And what did the president say today?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, he started off by talking about Iran and the American service members who have been killed. He said there's always death in war, but they're going to try to keep it at a minimum. He then turned to the leaders in front of him in the room where he boasted of their partnerships, and he urged all of Latin America to be more aggressive and to work with the U.S. to combat the cartels.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We'll use missiles. You want us to use a missile. They're extremely accurate. Right into the living room. That's the end of that cartel person.
ORDOÑEZ: He said the only way to truly fight the cartels is with the military and that the police are just not enough. And then with these specific leaders, he signed a joint security declaration that encourages military force against the cartels.
SIMON: Franco, the Shield of the Americas summit sounds like the summit of the Americas, but there's a difference, isn't there?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. There's a big difference. And the Summit of the Americas is meant to gather all the leaders from the Western Hemisphere, from the left, the right, big countries, small ones. This is not that. This is a handpicked group of conservatives who are broadly on board with the president's agenda.
SIMON: And so what countries are there in Miami?
ORDOÑEZ: Twelve of them were there. And they include Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador. But, Scott, for what it's worth, it did not include Brazil and Mexico, the two largest economies, nor Colombia, another very big economy.
SIMON: How much of the ongoing conflict with the U.S. being at war in the Middle East overshadow these talks?
ORDOÑEZ: You know, it wasn't the main topic, but it is part of the bigger conversation. Benjamin Gedan, he had the South America portfolio in the Obama White House. He says it's very significant that this is happening, considering U.S. history with the region.
BENJAMIN GEDAN: The expectation is always that Latin America will be bumped by a more prominent foreign policy crisis.
ORDOÑEZ: And he gave an example. In the first administration, Trump did cancel his first trip to Latin America in 2018 for the Summit of the Americas because of a crisis in Syria, and a lot of people in the region saw it as evidence of Trump's lack of interest.
SIMON: China's investments in Latin America are, let me just put it this way, profound. Can the United States realistically counter all that influence?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, very profound. And I think the administration may be able to mitigate some of that influence, but as Gedan told me, you just can't wish China away. China is just such a major source of capital for the region, and it buys so many regional goods. Gedan told me there is no clearer example than Argentina of Trump's challenges with China in the region.
GEDAN: This is a country that received a $20 billion bailout from the United States. But where was its foreign minister just a few weeks ago? Meeting with the Chinese foreign minister to reassure him that Argentina was open to Chinese trade and investment.
SIMON: And, of course, Franco, the U.S. military recently captured Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and it's putting a lot of pressure on Cuba. Does today's summit take up those ongoing crises?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, Trump brought up his efforts in transforming Venezuela, where he's likely to have support from these handpicked leaders. You know, some are struggling with migration because of exodus from Venezuela, and they would actually be interested in a more open Venezuela. But really, for those countries, the focus is on their own countries, their own people. And what benefits them - they see - working with Trump.
SIMON: White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thanks so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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