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00:00I want to begin with, you're about to mark your first year of your full presidential term.
00:05And you ran on this idea of an iron fist to really go after transnational gangs and the crime in
00:11this country.
00:12How has the strategy worked so far?
00:14Well, the strategy has worked.
00:17We started this plan in 2023, and there are different phases in the plan.
00:24The actual phase was kind of like a blitzkrieg and go head on into the points in the country or
00:36the locations where we had the most violence and also the highest activity for drug trafficking and illegal mining.
00:45We've worked together with Europol, we've worked together with the United States and with international organizations so that we can
00:54tackle narco-terrorism without affecting the economy, without making the whole country stop.
01:04And that is the biggest challenge, because at the same time, people need to eat, people need to have a
01:09job, yet the young people that voted for me need a plan and hope in their life.
01:15So the difficult part is to mix both, and we're doing it.
01:20So after the SNAP election, 2023-2024, we saw crime rates drop about 15%, but last year it was a
01:27record for homicides.
01:28Yes.
01:29So how do you reconcile the two? What changed in that time period?
01:32Well, in 2024, for example, 6 or 6.5 out of 10 homicides were of people that had a criminal
01:43record.
01:44In 2025, it was over 9, 9 over 10.
01:49So most of these homicides were gang-related or narco-terrorism for positions.
02:00We had captured the heads, we had captured the capos.
02:05So the second line or third line were, you know, in local wars, most of these homicides were people that
02:16had criminal records.
02:17So in the past in Colombia, under Uribe, he went for this democratic strategy, shore up towns, shore up roads,
02:25make sure they're safe.
02:26And then you have a different approach in El Salvador with Naqib Bukele, according to the U.S. Treasury Department,
02:34where he basically paid off and cut a deal with gang leaders.
02:37Would you consider either of these scenarios, potentially, or strategies going forward?
02:41Our strategy is more similar to Uribe.
02:45People that worked or that were part of the Uribe or Uribe's time have given us advice, have worked with
02:55us.
02:55So it's not only, I would say, an iron fist.
03:02It's an iron fist with a heart.
03:04It's an iron fist also with an economic strategy.
03:07It's an iron fist with job generation and job creation.
03:12So it's not the same as Naqib Bukele's plan.
03:17It's more similar to Uribe's plan.
03:20You mentioned the United States is helping you do this.
03:22And last month, U.S. Southern Command talked about these joint military operations.
03:27What was the U.S. role exactly?
03:29The U.S. role was very important.
03:32It helped us identify, because of the technology that the U.S. has,
03:37the locations where most...
03:39Target tracking.
03:40Exactly.
03:41Target tracking and their intelligence helped us.
03:45And most of the operations, I would say, all of the operations, not most of the operations,
03:50were led by our armed forces with the support of the U.S.
03:55It's not an invasion.
03:57It's not an intruder coming to our country.
04:02It's actually international collaboration against crime.
04:05Would you welcome, though, U.S. troops on the ground?
04:09If they're willing to follow the lead of Ecuadorian armed forces, then no problem.
04:17Do you think the U.S. would be willing to do that?
04:19Have you had those conversations?
04:20Yes.
04:21I mean, they're willing to collaborate.
04:22They're willing to collaborate.
04:23It's not follow orders.
04:25It's collaborate.
04:26Last year, in a referendum, though, Ecuadorians pushed back.
04:30They rejected this idea of foreign military bases.
04:32Could you still have U.S. troops on the ground without having this idea of foreign military bases go through
04:38a referendum?
04:39Yes.
04:39We have international agreements, international treaties that allow temporary presence of,
04:48obviously, with the control of our armed forces.
04:51But it does allow that.
04:53At the same time, 70% of the country is happy that we have a good relationship with the U
04:59.S.
05:00So sometimes numbers or a referendum can be irrational in a way.
05:08It sounds like you're open to this and the U.S. is open to this.
05:12Do you think it could happen maybe this year?
05:15I think it could happen this year.
05:17I think it would be important.
05:18Right now, we've reduced homicide rates by 38% in the border.
05:26There's a general sense of peace today in Ecuador.
05:30Our numbers are a lot better.
05:32And we are at a point that we need to continue pushing to eliminate the threat.
05:37Have you spoken to the new Secretary for Homeland Security?
05:41Because we were very close to Kristi Noem, but now there's a new individual, Mark Wayne Mullen.
05:45Any conversations between your government and him yet?
05:48I haven't talked to him yet.
05:49I've talked to Secretary Hexit and the Department of War and Secretary Rubio.
05:57But I haven't met the new Secretary of Homeland Security.
06:00As you know, of course, the U.S. now is dealing with a war in the Middle East and Iran.
06:05Are you concerned that their direction of travel, their focus is shifting to the Middle East and not to Latin
06:12America?
06:12No.
06:13I think that the U.S. understands that most of the drugs go through Latin America up to the states.
06:22And it affects the lives of young people in America.
06:26It affects their future.
06:28It affects the stability of their families.
06:30So it's better to attack the problem from the source than to wait until it crosses the border.
06:37What about the effects of the war?
06:39Are you feeling that here in terms of energy prices going up?
06:44Not yet.
06:45We're starting to feel it.
06:47We have a system that is partially subsidized in terms of fuel costs.
06:55And it can only go up by a certain percentage every month.
07:00But it will catch up.
07:02I mean, it's the reality of the world that we're an oil-producing country.
07:06So that helps us also in terms of income that we need it.
07:12The diesel fuel subsidy, though, is removed.
07:15Would you consider bringing that back?
07:17No.
07:18No, not on the table.
07:19Not on the table.
07:20You're a very close ally, obviously, to President Trump and the Trump administration.
07:24He shared this this morning, this tweet, Truth Social Post.
07:28A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.
07:31I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.
07:35Does this kind of rhetoric make it challenging for you to align with this administration at home?
07:42It is hard.
07:43What I focus on is on the willingness of a government, the willingness of this U.S. government,
07:50to finally go after narco-terrorists in a region.
07:59Maybe the form is not ideal, but the true intention and the plan, I think it's a good one.
08:07The destination.
08:07You talk a lot about transnational crimes.
08:11Actually, all the cocaine, 70%, comes from outside of your borders, but it leaves from your borders,
08:17which makes it very challenging.
08:18How do you work with your partners in the region when you have a fractured relationship with some of them,
08:23when it comes to Colombia and Mexico?
08:26Does it make it challenging to go after this one specific issue?
08:29It's very difficult.
08:31It's very difficult.
08:31We have to double our presence in the border, in our northern border.
08:37It forces us to spend money that we wouldn't have to spend if our neighbor would care about protecting their
08:48own borders
08:48and control trafficking.
08:50So it's an extra $400 to $500 million a year that we have to spend to control that.
08:56That's why we have now a security tariff for Colombian products coming south.
09:04Is it working, the tariff?
09:06It's working.
09:07In the first quarter of last year, for example, we had a trade deficit of $250 million.
09:14This year in the first quarter is $8 million.
09:16I cover the president, so you sound like him when you talk about tariffs,
09:20using a security issue but slapping tariffs.
09:23He's a self-described Mr. Tariff Man.
09:25Are you modeling this after him?
09:27Are you Mr. Tariff Man of Latin America?
09:29No, I believe in commercial openness and the economies should work together, but fairly.
09:38I'll give you an example of Colombia.
09:41In 2017, they had electricity issues.
09:44And we helped them so that they wouldn't have blackouts.
09:47What was the cost?
09:481.6 cents per kilowatt hour.
09:52In 2024, we had the same problem, and they charged us 28 cents per kilowatt hour.
09:58So that's not necessarily fair.
10:01It cost us $400 million that were supposed to go to social programs,
10:06that were supposed to go to opportunities for young people that voted for us.
10:11So things like that make it difficult.
10:15What would be ideal to cut a defense deal, energy deal, and eliminate all tariffs?
10:23That would be ideal.
10:24That was our proposal to Colombia.
10:28But Colombia didn't want to make any deal in security or in electricity.
10:34When it comes to Mexico, because you have severed diplomatic ties,
10:38last year, or the prior year, you said something along the lines of,
10:42you're going to get a ceviche or have some tacos with President Amlo.
10:45We now have a new president in Mexico.
10:47Does the same deal hold for her?
10:50Would you consider dining with President Scheinbaum and maybe working this out?
10:54Sure.
10:55No problem.
10:56I have great friends in Mexico, classmates also that I went to school with,
11:02and I think it's an amazing country that has a huge potential,
11:07and it should also have the same willingness to have a good relationship with all of Latin America.
11:14Do you think your relationship is becoming better with Mexico?
11:17I don't think so, but I think that they're focusing more on ideology than I am.
11:22I'm focusing on security.
11:24They did get a huge cartel ringleader in February.
11:28Potentially, does that show you that they're lining up with how you think as well about...
11:32What they did is that they blocked the entrance of a cartel leader
11:39that came from Colombia with a Colombian new identity.
11:46So it was more an immigration issue.
11:49It was more an immigration issue.
11:52Then that person was sent back to Colombia and then back to Ecuador.
11:58When it comes to Latin America, the U.S. is also focused on this region,
12:02not just for transnational crime and the gangs and the cartels,
12:06but also when it comes to China.
12:08Have they asked you to choose between Beijing and Washington?
12:13Well, not directly, but there are some suggestions of some people from the government.
12:21But at the same time, I keep on answering the same thing.
12:25Our number one partner in terms of security and defense is the U.S.,
12:29but we continue to trade with all countries.
12:32And Chinese investment actually is outpacing that of the United States.
12:36Does that make it more challenging to become a China hawk?
12:41In the last, I would say, 10 years, yes.
12:45But recently, the U.S. is catching up.
12:48Recently, the U.S. is catching up, in Ecuador particularly.
12:51I can't speak of the other countries.
12:54And we see U.S. companies more willing to work with Ecuador in the energy sector,
13:04in the mining sector, in construction, and in trade, in general trade.
13:08You were born in Miami, went to the most prestigious universities in the United States.
13:14Has that shaped your worldview and how you view policy in Ecuador?
13:19In a way, yes, in a way on how to solve problems.
13:23But the best way to understand Ecuadorians is to spend time with Ecuadorians
13:28and to spend time in different parts of Ecuador.
13:33Ecuador is multicultural.
13:34It's 24 different provinces, a lot of different characteristics in each region as well.
13:41So the best way to understand Ecuador is to spend time in Ecuador with Ecuadorians.
13:47You also come from the richest family of Ecuador.
13:50You could have had a very calm life.
13:52I look at these guitars around the room.
13:54I mean, you could have just continued studying music, maybe be in a band.
13:58But you decided to be the president of Ecuador with a target on your back from gangs.
14:04Do you feel safe?
14:07I feel confident.
14:10I feel safe, but I have to be careful every single day of my life.
14:16And it was, it's a sacrifice.
14:18It's a sacrifice I made.
14:20It's a sacrifice my family is making.
14:22And yes, I could have an easy life.
14:24But at the same time, I had the example of my mother, of my father,
14:28that both had, you know, this sense of service, especially my mother.
14:32She was the most voted congresswoman in the history of the country.
14:35She has her own foundation.
14:36She's a doctor.
14:39And I just, you know, feel that I'm doing the right thing now
14:43and using the resources and the education
14:47and, you know, the, you know, the blessings that I have in benefit of others.
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