news

Hondurasgate: Leaked Audios Reveal Trump-Backed Plot Targeting Petro, Sheinbaum, and Latin American Left - El Ciudadano

A recent leak has brought to light the existence of a political and media cell associated with Trumpism, funded by Honduran government structures, aimed at destabilizing both Gustavo Petro’s administration in Colombia and Claudia Sheinbaum’s in Mexico, as well as the Latin American left.

A collection of audios obtained by Diario Red revealed discussions between former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández—who was convicted of drug trafficking in the United States and later pardoned by the Donald Trump administration—and the current president of the Central American nation, Nasry Asfura, along with his vice president, María Antonieta Mejía.

The recordings detail the formation of a communication team funded with Honduran public resources and contributions from the government of Argentine president Javier Milei, totaling over half a million dollars. The objective is to “strike media blows” against the progressive leaders in the region.

The geopolitical context, characterized by the competition between China and the United States over critical minerals and supply chains, helps explain why Washington resorts to local operators like Hernández to hinder the advance of the Latin American left.

In one of the most revealing audios, dated January 30, 2026, Hernández instructs Asfura from the United States: “I need you to send about 150 thousand dollars to Rosales’ account […] because here we are going to rent an apartment and set up an office for a digital journalism unit. Someone else from here will handle it, from the team of the President of the United States. Well, he is from the Republicans who are helping us. They are going to set up a news site where important information about Manuel Zelaya and Xiomara Castro will be released.”

Asfura responds by offering additional transfers from “a friend’s” account, including resources from the Social Security Institute (INSEP). According to the conversations, the operation included a call between Hernández and Milei, who allegedly committed 350 thousand dollars to execute the destabilizing actions.

The dialogue reveals that Hernández informs Asfura the news site would operate as an informative cell based in the United States to avoid being tracked in Honduras. The aim is not only to attack Xiomara Castro’s government but also to prepare “files” against Mexico (Sheinbaum) and Colombia (Petro).

“Files against Mexico are coming, files against Colombia, and most importantly against Honduras, specifically against the Zelaya family,” states the former Honduran president in the recording.

In another call with Vice President Mejía, Hernández reiterates the need for liquidity to set up an office with support from political actors of the Republican Party in the United States, aiming to “attack and eradicate the cancer of the left” throughout Latin America. Mejía, who requests “details to be omitted” to leave no traces, confirms the management of 300 thousand dollars.

“I will handle all the arrangements, so 300 thousand dollars,” she indicates in the audio.

Beyond the media war, this leak reveals an ambitious plan for territorial reconversion of Honduras into a strategic enclave for the United States. The agreements include the expansion of Employment and Economic Development Zones (ZEDES), the construction of a new military base in Roatan, similar to Soto Cano Air Base (Palmerola)—operated by Southern Command since 1982—and a Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in Tegucigalpa, emulating the repressive Salvadoran model.

In a voice note from February 10, 2026, Asfura informs Hernández that a group of investors has already greenlit these projects, including a transoceanic train to be awarded to General Electric, deliberately excluding Canada and China. “The Chinese were bidding. But we are not going to give in,” he asserts.

Violence as a tool of control is mentioned unequivocally. In a message directed to Tomás Zambrano, president of the Honduran National Congress, Hernández conveys a directive attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump: “In Honduras, strength is needed, logistics are needed, blood is needed. If you want to keep people controlled, you need to oppress them. Squeeze them. Counter violence by generating violence. It’s what President Trump says.”

Hernández even references the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar: “Don’t be so soft […] So said Pablo Escobar.”

Meanwhile, Romeo Vásquez Velásquez—who led the 2009 coup against former Honduran president Manuel Zelaya—appears to be coordinating with the Armed Forces “to start the hunt.”

Another pillar of the strategy is the cultural battle waged from evangelical churches. According to the audios revealed by Diario Red, Hernández instructs Zambrano to align all religious congregations so that “people forget the past. And that they think it was the left who did that.”

“In Honduras, evangelicals have already mobilized their parishioners in massive marches against Xiomara Castro’s government, such as the one summoned in August 2025 under the slogan ‘for peace and in defense of democracy’ in coordination with the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise,” the reported source notes.

This web of activities—which combines lawfare, military control of resources, violence, and religious manipulation—confirms that under Nasry Asfura’s government, Honduras has become a pawn on the chessboard for Donald Trump and his interest in regaining the hegemony lost by Washington in the Latin American region due to the defense of sovereignty undertaken by progressive governments.