US defence secretary compares Bolivia protests to government ‘overthrow’ 

The administration of United States President Donald Trump has issued a statement appearing to characterise the anti-government protests in Bolivia as an attempted coup against the country’s right-wing president.

On Thursday, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth posted on social media that the US military establishment would “reject all attempts to overthrow the legitimate government” of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz.

He then proceeded to suggest that the protesters — many of whom are teachers, miners, farmers and union workers — are in league with “narco-terrorists”, the Trump administration’s term for drug traffickers.

“The United States is watching. Bolivia must not allow itself to fall prey to the old status quo of narco-terrorist dominance in the region,” Hegseth wrote.

The message was the latest indication that the Trump administration plans to continue taking an active role in Latin American politics and security.

Since returning to the presidency for a second term in 2025, Trump has outlined an expansionist plan for the US, and his administration has described the entire Western Hemisphere as its “neighbourhood” to patrol.

“This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened,” the State Department posted in January.

The Trump administration has also designated multiple criminal networks in Latin America as “terrorist” organisations.

Earlier this year, Trump established a security initiative called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), under the umbrella of the Shield of the Americas, to bring together right-wing governments from across the region to collaborate on issues like crime and security.

Paz, the Bolivian president, was among the leaders to attend the A3C’s inaugural summit in March.

But domestically, his government has faced a rocky start. Paz was elected in Bolivia’s presidential run-off in October, marking the end of nearly two decades of governance from the Movement for Socialism (MAS).

His administration quickly moved to restore ties with the US, after they were severed in 2008 over disputes about the US’s aggressive anti-drug policy and other issues.

Bolivia is the third largest producer of coca, the raw material for the drug cocaine, but the crop also has uses in traditional medicine and Andean ceremony. Unions of coca farmers continue to be a powerful political force in the country.

Some of Paz’s early moves, however, have alarmed that constituency. In May, for example, his government was forced to revoke a land reform law, Ley 1720, that farmers feared would allow their small plots to be converted to larger land holdings.

Paz’s decision to nix fuel subsidies sparked public backlash, too, as petrol prices rose. Bolivia’s economy has been in turmoil for years, as foreign currency reserves dwindle, alongside its exports of natural gas, a major local commodity.

Since May, protesters have filled streets across Bolivia, blockading roadways and clashing with law enforcement.

Some demonstrators have called for Paz’s resignation, citing the popular discontent, though officials in his administration have rejected the possibility outright.

Facing the public unrest, Paz has reshuffled his cabinet and pledged to take a 50-percent pay cut.

On May 27, Bolivia’s legislature gave the green light for the military to deploy against the protesters, in a bid to clear the blockades. But the protests have continued to grind on.

The Trump administration, which has encouraged Latin American governments to take more hardline measures to confront drug trafficking, offered Paz its support on Thursday.

“We will continue to support our A3C partners like Bolivia to ensure that narco-terrorists are deterred from profiting on death and destruction in our hemisphere,” Hegseth said.