US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Prime Minister-elect Kamla Persad-Bissessar is a strong leader who shares US President Donald Trump’s priorities.
He made the comment as he congratulated her on her victory in the general election.
In a post on X, Rubio said, “She is a strong leader, friend, and US ally who shares @POTUS's (President of the US) priorities on security and immigration.
“We look forward to building a close partnership for the future of TT, and the entire Caribbean,” he added.
A post on the US Department of State’s website, elaborated on Rubio’s words and praised the country for a smooth democratic process.
“We commend the people of TT for their continued commitment to democratic values and institutions, demonstrated through the peaceful and orderly conduct of their free and fair national elections."
It noted the decades-long relationship between both nations.
“The US and TT share a strong and enduring partnership rooted in deep historic ties, regional co-operation, and shared goals for prosperity and security.
The statement ended with the US adding it looks forward to working with Persad-Bissessar “to strengthen our collaboration on energy security, economic prosperity, and countering transnational crime.”
Rubio’s praise clashes with Young’s rhetoric
Rubio’s comments came less than two weeks after he praised the leadership of former prime minister Stuart Young.
The duo spoke on April 18 after the failure of the Dragon Gas deal.
The deal – to extract and sell gas from both the Dragon and Manakin-Cocuina cross-border gas fields with Venezuela – died after the Trump administration revoked US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) licences that allowed TT to conduct business with Venezuela.
In a statement, Rubio’s spokesperson said Young and Rubio intended to work closely to find a solution that preserves US-TT relations, but align with US policies on Venezuela.
“(Rubio) welcomed Young’s exploration of viable options that support the country’s energy needs while remaining consistent with US sanctions policy.”
The statement went on to praise Young’s “effective leadership” of TT’s energy initiatives.
Young, while on the campaign trail, repeatedly emphasised his relationship with Rubio and other decision makers who he said are key to TT’s energy and economic future.
He suggested not having these relationships could ultimately negatively affect TT.
Kamla and Trump’s shared priorities
On November 26, Persad-Bissessar alleged Venezuelan migrants were “committing crimes daily against our citizens.”
She called on them to "get their act in order” and vowed to deport all illegal Venezuelan migrants “by any means necessary.”
[caption id="attachment_1152423" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Prime Minister-elect Kamla Persad-Bissessar - Photo courtesy UNC[/caption]
“Illegal Venezuelan migrants have a clear choice to make, either peaceful, law-abiding habitation in our country or deportation, there is no middle ground.”
Persad-Bissessar,
