After more than three months of silence regarding U.S. President Donald Trump, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has finally spoken out — and his comments were anything but muted.
On the eve of International Workers’ Day, Ortega took to the stage at a public rally and delivered a scathing critique of Trump, directly targeting the policies of the Republican president.
This outburst came promptly after the U.S. State Department released a report celebrating the administration’s first 100 days while categorizing Nicaragua among its ‘adversaries.’
Until this point, Ortega’s government had maintained a cautious approach, quietly cooperating with the U.S. by accepting deportees and withdrawing from a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel, all in an apparent effort to align with Washington’s agenda.
However, the recent U.S. actions now appear to have prompted a shift in Ortega’s stance.
During his lengthy speech, Ortega expressed deep disdain for Trump’s anti-immigration policies and economic tariffs, highlighting the devastating impact they have had on Nicaragua.
He invoked a particular case involving a Venezuelan mother and her young daughter, illustrating the human cost of Trump’s deportation policies: “These are already horrendous crimes — horrendous like holding a two-year-old girl in prison, kidnapped, and attacking her poor mother.”
In the State Department report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was praised for a decisive foreign policy, which included imposing visa restrictions on over 250 Nicaraguan officials accused of undermining the freedoms of their citizens.
This segment of the report seems to have triggered the Ortega-Murillo regime’s decisive response, signaling a newfound willingness to publicly confront the Trump administration.
After months of strategic silence, Ortega finally condemned U.S. deportations and the complicity of regional leaders, notably Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
In his critiques, Ortega also noted a recent increase in Nicaraguans deported through Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and highlighted the detrimental impact of economic tariffs imposed by the U.S.
“Another bomb has fallen on the world, and it comes from the president of the United States, who has launched a package of economic measures [tariffs] without consulting any country,” he asserted, indicating a shift in his rhetoric towards an articulate opposition against U.S. economic policy under Trump.
Ortega expressed solidarity with China during his address and credited President Xi Jinping, stating, “He simply decided to do it, and there it is: threatening the global economy and also threatening the American economy.”
The Nicaraguan president’s speech was not limited to trade policies; he delivered a broader indictment against the U.S. immigration system, condemning the practices that have targeted long-term migrants to the country.
Ortega emphasized the contributions of these migrants, stating, “Persecuting and imprisoning all those who have worked there for years — who have shed sweat and blood so that country could have more wealth.”
Additionally, Ortega’s critique extended to Trump’s approach towards due process, where he suggested that the American president was disregarding the judicial branch of the U.S. government.
This statement drew parallels to Ortega’s own governance style, as he starkly accused Trump of overstepping legal boundaries in deportation cases.
Manuel Orozco, a researcher at the Inter-American Dialogue, commented on the Ortega-Murillo regime’s political messaging, noting that they have miscalculated the reaction to their criticisms: “They leaned on a moralistic narrative, aligning themselves with international criticism of President Trump and assuming they were part of that global protest.”
The political landscape for Ortega is particularly fragile. With paramilitary forces present at the rally, the optics suggested a continued stronghold of an authoritarian regime, one that emerged significantly during periods of unrest and alleged crimes against humanity post-2018.
As the Sandinista leader delivered his speech amidst police and military presences, it served as a stark reminder of the repressive environment in Nicaragua.
Long before Trump’s advent in U.S. politics, Nicaragua had already experienced a downward spiral into repression.
While Ortega’s critique of Trump on International Workers’ Day may have struck a chord with some, it also raises questions about the irony of a leader whose actions mirror the authoritarianism he is critiquing.
In a time when authoritarianism is on the rise globally, Ortega’s rhetoric gives insight into the complexities of international relations and domestic governance amid shifting political tides.
image source from：https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-02/ortega-breaks-silence-on-trump-after-washington-calls-the-nicaraguan-regime-an-adversary.html
