Brazil has become a testing ground for Trump’s trademark convergence of personal and political interests . On Feb. 18, the Brazilian Supreme Court received an indictment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, for, among other charges, attempting to prevent the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Jan. 1, 2023.

A dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will hold presidential or legislative elections this year. At the same time, a region synonymous with U.S. intervention now faces the most aggressive, partisan, and extreme form of election favoritism since the third wave of democracy swept the hemisphere in the 1970s and ’80s. This time, U.S. intervention will be in service of leaders and movements sharing U.S. President Donald Trump’s outsider populist style and his opposition to the checks and balances of a democratic government. By intervening or even tipping the scale for a candidate, the U.S. president and his advisors could threaten four decades of democratic gains in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will hold presidential or legislative elections this year. At the same time, a region synonymous with U.S. intervention now faces the most aggressive, partisan, and extreme form of election favoritism since the third wave of democracy swept the hemisphere in the 1970s and ’80s. This time, U.S. intervention will be in service of leaders and movements sharing U.S. President Donald Trump’s outsider populist style and his opposition to the checks and balances of a democratic government.