Chile’s leftist presidential candidate Jeannette Jara met with US head of state Donald Trump’s ambassador to the Latin American nation, the diplomat said on Wednesday following tensions between both nations.
“After my meeting with presidential candidate Jeannette Jara, I’d like to share something simple: I value frank and respectful dialogue,” US ambassador Brandon Judd wrote on X, adding the US must maintain open dialogue with all of Chile’s democratic forces and strengthen cooperation on shared priorities including growth, security and innovation.
Last month, Judd chided current Chilean President Gabriel Boric over his recent criticism of Trump, describing the remarks as “disappointing” saying they showed how far bilateral relations “have fallen.” Less than 24 hours later, the South American nation’s foreign affairs ministry delivered a note of protest and described the ambassador’s comments as “inappropriate and unfortunate.”
Jara is a lifelong member of Chile’s Communist Party who most recently served as labor minister in Boric’s leftist administration.
If elected president, Jara will work for strong diplomatic relations with Trump, she said in a November interview. “Although I don’t like Trump at all, the truth is that the American people elected him,” Jara said. “I am respectful of that.”
In a separate post on X on Monday, Judd wrote he will always be open and honest when journalists ask him questions, adding that he will work with whomever wins Chile’s Dec. 14 presidential runoff. “The current government’s criticism of the President of the United States has a cost for the bilateral relationship and for the Chilean people,” he said.
Boric will leave office in March following the presidential runoff between Jara and ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast.
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