Trump Tells Bukele to 'Do What You Have to Do' as El Salvador Surges Troops Into Haiti

President Trump gave Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele the go-ahead to escalate a troop deployment to Haiti, telling him "Do what you have to do" on an Oct. 27 call, Axios reported Oct. 30, citing people familiar with the call. Bukele reportedly sought assurance Washington would not abandon him mid-operation. About 2,000 Salvadoran special forces had already deployed to Port-au-Prince, with El Salvador covering roughly 90% of the cost and the U.S. and Colombia providing logistics.

The surge followed the Oct. 18 ambush and disappearance of four Salvadoran aviation technicians, whom Bukele said remained the mission's immediate priority. Axios reported the deployment -- under a bilateral agreement with Haiti's unelected, CARICOM-brokered government whose terms are undisclosed -- could make Haiti a testing ground for Bukele and security contractor Erik Prince as intermediaries of U.S. regional influence.

It remains unclear how Salvadoran forces will coordinate with Haiti's own security institutions or the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force, which El Salvador already supports.