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Trump’s Remarks on Interpreters Draw Attention at Latin American Summit in Florida

President Donald Trump delivered an unconventional address during a regional summit with Latin American leaders at his golf resort, Trump National Doral Miami, where he spent several minutes discussing interpreters and language barriers during international diplomacy.
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The gathering, described as a “Shield of the Americas” summit, brought together leaders from Central and South America to discuss regional security issues, including organized crime, migration, and economic cooperation.

However, during his remarks Trump digressed from policy topics and spoke at length about his experiences working with interpreters when meeting foreign leaders.

At one point, the president joked that he had no intention of learning Spanish, telling the audience he did not have time to learn “your language” and instead preferred to rely on skilled interpreters.

Trump also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, noting that Rubio’s fluency in Spanish gave him an advantage in dealing with leaders across Latin America.

The president went on to describe how he believes he can detect poor translations even when he does not speak the language. He recounted an instance in which an interpreter delivered a much shorter translation of one of his remarks, prompting him to question whether the message had been fully conveyed.

Trump also spoke about the broader role interpreters play in diplomacy, arguing that the quality of translation can influence how leaders perceive one another during negotiations.

The remarks drew attention because they came during a summit intended to focus on regional security cooperation and diplomatic coordination between the United States and Latin American countries.

Officials from the White House have not commented on reactions from attending leaders. The summit itself continued with scheduled meetings and discussions later in the day.

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Trump Says U.S. Had No Advance Knowledge of Israeli Strike on Iran’s ‘Extremely Valuable’ South Pars Gas Field
Trump Says U.S. Had No Advance Knowledge of Israeli Strike on Iran’s ‘Extremely Valuable’ South Pars Gas Field U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington had no prior knowledge of an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field, while asserting that no further attacks on the site would take place. In a post on March 18, Trump said Israel had carried out a strike targeting South Pars Gas Field—the world’s largest natural gas field located offshore in Iran’s southern Bushehr province—but added that only a small portion of the facility was hit. According to Trump, the United States was not informed in advance of the operation. He also stressed that Qatar “was not involved in any way” and had no foreknowledge of the strike. U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo: White House). The U.S. president said that due to a lack of clarity about the incident and its details, Iran responded with what he described as an “unreasonable and unjust” attack on part of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. Trump said Israel would not conduct any further strikes on South Pars unless Iran continues attacking Qatar, which he described as “completely innocent” in the situation. “Israel will not carry out any additional attacks related to this extremely important and valuable South Pars gas field unless Iran continues to strike Qatar—a country entirely uninvolved in this matter,” Trump wrote. He warned that if Iran persists in targeting Qatar, the United States would “destroy the entire South Pars gas field” with a level of force Iran “has never seen before.” At the same time, Trump said he does not wish to authorize such a level of violence due to the long-term consequences it could have for Iran’s future. “However, if Qatar’s LNG facilities continue to be attacked, I will not hesitate to act,” he added. Iran has not publicly commented on Trump’s statements. Earlier, Iranian state media reported that natural gas facilities linked to South Pars had come under attack. The Times of Israel also cited Israeli officials as saying the country’s air force conducted strikes on the gas infrastructure on March 18. Shortly afterward, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to target oil and gas infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, raising concerns about potential disruptions to regional energy supplies. Later on March 18 (local time), Qatari authorities reported a fire at the Ras Laffan Industrial City gas facility following what was described as an Iranian ballistic missile attack. Qatar’s Interior Ministry later said the fire had been brought under control.