US defence secretary compares Bolivia protests to government ‘overthrow’

Key points

• The Trump administration has supported Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz after his electoral victory over the left-wing Movement for Socialism.
• The administration of United States President Donald Trump has issued a statement appearing to characterise the anti-government protests in Bolivia as an attempted coup against the country’s right-wing president.
• On Thursday, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth posted on social media that the US military establishment would “reject all attempts to overthrow the legitimate government” of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz.
• He then proceeded to suggest that the protesters — many of whom are teachers, miners, farmers and union workers — are in league with “narco-terrorists”, the Trump administration’s term for drug traffickers.
• “The United States is watching.