Finally, it seemed, Vice President Pence was beginning to chart his own path by visiting a strategically planned group of Latin American countries to spread a message of economic growth, peace and stability. But in the wake of another disruptive, hateful Trump tirade, Pence ended up first having to revert to his traditional role of picking up the pieces.
Still, before he had to cut his trip short to return home to deal (supposedly) with the North Korea crisis, the vice president made some substantive steps towards building U.S.-Latin American relations. In visits with the presidents of Colombia, Argentina and Chile, Pence—along with Presidents Santos, Macri, and Bachelet—committed the U.S. to continued strong diplomatic and economic ties throughout the hemisphere. Back home, however, the Trump administration continues to threaten to undo the progress made in recent years.
Maybe if President Trump could stay on message for even a week, Vice President Pence could make some real progress on promoting U.S. foreign policy and improving inter-American relations.
