How some Mexicans and Guatemalans really feel about Donald Trump

Last Updated on June 3, 2023 by Ellen

We went to a sports bar in Antigua, Guatemala, to watch the Cavaliers versus Golden State. It’s the first time on our travels I’ve seen this particular style T-shirt offered for sale in a place like that. It reads, ‘Donald you are a motherfucker.’

donald trump tshirt says in spanish 'donald you are a motherfucker'

It sure feels like the anti-Trump sentiment is getting worse abroad. Anti-Trump sentiment began to blossom back in 2105, when I was living alone in Tulum, Mexico. That’s when locals – and travelers from other countries – started trash-talking Trump to me. It’s only increased since then.

In the fall of 2016 before the election, we saw a Trump pinata in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. We’d heard about them, but had never seen one until we happened to walk by a store selling all types of pinatas and the candies to fill them.

We watched the election at a ‘Democrats Abroad’ party in Ajijic, Mexico. (I’m not a die-hard Democrat – but it was the only place in town showing American election programming.)

American expats were stunned that night, just like people all over the rest of the world. What they had hoped would be a grand party on Ajijic’s expat central on the main square felt more like a funeral. In the days after the election, we saw Trump pinatas not far from that main square. They all had small hands.

Anyway. Four months later in March, we watched children in Puerto Escondido bash a Trump pinata. I’m pretty sure some American (or maybe Canadian) expats were involved in organizing the bash party. Signs announced it would take place right there – that night at 8.

After verbal bashing by adults and physical bashing by kids holding a police baton, the effigy finally came down and spilled some candy. Kids played with the Trump head, ultimately bashing it in. No more Trump pinata.

Aside from T-shirts and pinatas, politics come up in conversation – especially when someone learns I’m American.

One evening in Puerto Vallarta, a French Canadian man gave me his unsolicited opinion on the state of affairs in American politics as I tried to watch a street chess game. I politely asked him to leave me alone. He didn’t, so I then I had to tell him to leave me the fuck alone – I wasn’t talking about Trump with him and I didn’t care what he thought.

Another time a Mexican taxi driver unleashed a verbal assault against the president and outlined why Donald Trump is bad for the world when I told him I grew up in New York. He didn’t want to change the topic so I could only nod in agreement – trapped in his cab.

Elderly American men, retired in Mexico, raved about Trump’s policies so loudly over dinner at a restaurant one night that I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. There they were – taking advantage of Mexico’s bargain prices and falling peso in their comfortable and affluent retirement. Instead of trying to understand how Americans affect the rest of the world, they were more concerned about how Trump would appoint a conservative judge to the Supreme Court, cut taxes, kill Obamacare, and keep foreigners out of their homeland. It took every ounce of patience I had not to go to their table and call them two-faced fucks.

I guess we’ll experience more nonsense as our travels continue in Guatemala and Mexico this year, and in Europe and Asia next year. I can’t help but wonder when we might be targets of some kind of anger and/or evil simply because we’re American.

For any new readers — we did not vote for Trump. We protested at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July 2016 when we stopped back in the U.S. on our world tour. We publicly took a stand then, and we remain firmly against Trump’s politics and policies and lies now and forever.

Politico posted a slideshow couple of months ago about how the rest of the world sees Trump. It feels like what we are experiencing now in Latin America is just beginning of what we may see in the months and destinations ahead. Check those images by Politico here.

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4 thoughts on “How some Mexicans and Guatemalans really feel about Donald Trump”

  1. We went to a bar on one of the tiny Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland. Population 800 and like a world stopped in time. People still speak Gaelic exclusively, horses and carts a regular mode of transport. We felt a million miles away from modern life.
    Upon walking into the bar a large sign was on the door….handwritten. Donald Trump supporters, not welcomed! We giggled that they were tuned in to the world this far away.
    I abhor Trump and the kind of ugliness he brings out in people. It is funny how Trump supporters claim everyine else is “brainwashed” when they are literally following this man over a cliff. I call them Cult45. They behave like a cult if I have ever seen one.
    Many people would benefit from traveling more and extending their world view. America is not the only country that matters and like it or not we are all interconnected and need each other for something.
    If the above poster travels at all outside the US she is going to be in for a big surprise about how the world feels about Trump.

    1. I love your comment, Julie, yet I hate that the world sees our country this way. It’s been a long time coming. Trump supporters are greedy. They have no idea how the rest of the world lives: they want only to have “more” of everything. Yes, life can be difficult in the U.S. – but that doesn’t mean we have to undercut everyone else for our own selfish gain.

      I have not yet seen that kind of sign anywhere, but it’s just a matter of time. I have seen some ugly things on display that would act as deterrents, including some new art work I just came across. I am collecting pictures / examples as we go for another future blog post. The images/messaging seems to be getting worse.

      And I like your Cult45 term. I have many loved ones who would follow Trump to the end, and it cracks my heart. I fear things are about to become much worse, before they become better.

  2. i can appreciate how you relate the experiences you’ve had but to actually report your thoughts about Trump is in my opinion not necessary or appreciated (by me at least) but now that i know you’re totally in with the fake news media and don’t bother to actually find out about how the other side really thinks (as NOT reported by the CNN) by naturalnews.com, i am unsubscribing. thank you thus far (a very short ride) for your travel insights.

    On Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 12:09 PM, Earth Vagabonds wrote:

    > Ellie Mae posted: “We went to a sports bar in Antigua, Guatemala, to watch > the Cavaliers versus Golden State. It’s the first time on our travels I’ve > seen this particular style T-shirt offered for sale in a place like that. > It reads, ‘Donald you are a motherfucker.’ It s” >

    1. Dear Sylvia, I know how the other side thinks. Most of my family members are staunch Trump supporters.

      I’m sorry you can’t stand to read my opinion. Like you, I too can get annoyed reading comments and opinions by Trump supporters. But unlike you, I still follow other blogs and people who have different viewpoints because I refuse to cut myself off from other opinions and lock myself in a bubble or in an echo chamber.

      Best regards,
      Ellen

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