Ada Peralta

The current president, Xiomara Castro, has a tense relationship with the U.S.

When Castro began, when Trump began his immigration crackdown, she threatened to shut down the U.S.

base in the country.

And it seems that Trump made a cold calculation that the most robust U.S.

ally in Honduras would be the National Party, Asfuda's party.

It seems that Trump made a cold calculation that the most robust U.S.

ally in Honduras would be the National Party, Asfuda's party.

And now this may seem odd because the U.S.

has had major problems with the National Party.

The last National Party president, Juan Orlando Hernández, was extradited to the U.S.

and convicted of drug trafficking.

But just before this election, Trump pardoned Hernández and endorsed his ally, Nasri Asfura.

In a statement yesterday, the State Department congratulated Asfura and said that they looked forward to working with the new Honduran government.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump endorsed conservative Tito Asfura for president, and he also said he would issue a pardon to former President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Hernandez was convicted of drug trafficking in a federal court in the United States.

And he was also implicated in huge corruption scandals at home.

Asfura took the National Party reins from Hernández, and he lost to a leftist candidate in 2021.

In his post, Trump threatened to pull USA to Honduras if Asfura doesn't win.

The most recent polls show three candidates are in a dead heat for the presidency.

Ed Peralta, NPR News, Mexico City.