It’s not every day that the most popular speaker at a Republican gathering is a foreigner, but that was the case at the Conservative Political Action Conference‘s first full day of programming on Thursday when Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received a roaring ovation that is typically only reserved for former President Donald Trump.
“They say globalism comes to die at CPAC,” Bukele said. “In El Salvador, it is already dead.” The room erupted as the crowd strained to take videos and get a better look at the most popular democratically elected leader in the world.
A year or two ago, it would be a safe bet that the vast majority of the people in the ballroom would not have been able to name the president of El Salvador, much less know enough about him to cheer his name loudly and excitedly.
But it is in this young, charismatic leader of a small Central American country, who just won the support of 84% of his people in a free election, that group of Republican activists and political aficionados saw the hope of what courageous leadership can look like.
As Bukele noted in his speech, “We transformed El Salvador from the most dangerous in the world to the safest in the Western Hemisphere.” A transformation that was made with courageous and strong leadership — leadership that withstood intense pressure and criticism to make difficult decisions.
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The thing that struck me the most in that ballroom on Thursday evening was how chants of “Bukele, Bukele!” continued long after his speech had finished. And how the cheerful and energetic Salvadoran president lingered after to shake hands and take selfies.
His appeal is genuine and personal because he has given an entire nation a reason to hope that a better future is possible. The raucous crowd at CPAC has seen that transformation, and it has given them hope for what could be possible if the people of the United States were to elect leaders with a transformative vision like Bukele.