Q COSTARICA — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has a differing perspective on the recent comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump. According to Chaves, Trump was not criticizing security in San José, Costa Rica, but rather emphasizing that the Costa Rican capital is safer than Washington, D.C.
This was stated on Wednesday by Mario Zamora, the Minister of Security, and President Rodrigo Chaves, who expressed surprise at the interpretation some media outlets made of Trump’s statements.
According to Chaves, the U.S. president did not directly attack the Costa Rican capital, but rather used a comparison to justify security measures in Washington, D.C.
“The video was absolutely clear: ‘I’m going to take complete control of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan police force, because the violence and murders here have gotten out of hand. Look, this city is less safe than a lot of cities,’ and that justifies why I’m doing it,” Chaves said.
“That’s the lie, the mean-spirited insinuation of the media, saying that Trump was attacking our security … When in reality what he was saying is: here in Washington, the capital of the most powerful nation in the world, things have gotten out of hand, Chaves added.
Zamora maintained that Trump used the reference to reinforce his decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington and place security forces under federal control, with the goal of “cleaning” the streets of “violent gangs.”
In his speech, President Trump included capital cities such as San José, Costa Rica, Panama City, Brasilia, Bogotá, Mexico City, Lima, and Baghdad, and pointed out “some of the places considered the worst in the world for security.”
Chaves’ statements contrast with Trump’s own words, who directly mentioned San José as one of the most dangerous cities in the world during a White House press conference.
In his remarks, Trump asserted that the United States capital faces crime levels similar to those of cities considered highly dangerous internationally, listing Panama City, Brasilia, San José, Bogotá, Mexico City, and Lima as examples.
“Do you want to live in places like that? I don’t think so. I don’t think so,” Trump told a packed room of reporters.
Trump hailed the day as “Liberation Day in Washington, D.C.” and promised a crackdown on crime in the U.S. capital.
Last year, Costa Rica recorded 880 homicides, according to data from the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ).
The numbers for this year, so far, indicate that it may surpass previous records. In the province of San José (which includes most of the larger urban area of Costa Rica) alone, 182 incidents have been recorded, 41 more than in the same period last year.
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