President Donald Trump hosted the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, urging Latin American leaders to help combat violent cartels. He met with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026, in Doral, Florida.
In his remarks at the summit, Trump urged the regional leaders gathered at his Miami-area golf club to take military action against drug cartels and transnational gangs that he said pose an “unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere’s national security. “The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our armed forces,” Trump declared. “We have to use our armed forces. You have to use your armed forces.” Citing the U.S.-led coalition that confronted the Islamic State group in the Middle East, the Republican president asserted that “now we must do the same to eradicate the cartels in our country.”
“Shield of the Americas Summit,” (from left to right) Kamla Susheila Persad-Bissessar SC MP, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic; Rodrigo Paz Pereira, President of Bolivia; Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador; Javier Milei, President of Argentina; U.S. President Donald Trump; José Raúl Mulino, President of Panama; Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana; Nasry “Tito” Asfura, President of Honduras; Rodrigo Chaves Robles, President of Costa Rica; José Antonio Kast President elect of Chile; Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador.
The event is part of Trump’s commitment to reaffirming American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. But he won’t be at the summit for long: Trump is scheduled to fly to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to attend the dignified repatriation of the six U.S. service members killed in a drone strike a day after the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran.
The Shield of the Americas initiative seeks to reflect Trump’s vision of an “America First” foreign policy toward the region, leveraging U.S. military and intelligence resources, according to administration officials.
President Donald Trump signs the “Commitment to Combat Cartel Criminal Activity” document during the Shield of the Americas Summit in Miami, Florida, on March 7, 2026. Trump hosted the summit to discuss strategies for strengthening U.S. leadership and coalition in the Western Hemisphere with Latin American leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.
