
“Here, we are not just changing a country; we are changing a paradigm,” were some of the words given in the more than 30-minute speech that Nayib Bukele delivered after being sworn in during his inauguration as President of El Salvador for the 2024-2029 term.
The speech was delivered from the main balcony of the National Palace of El Salvador, located in the Historic Center of San Salvador, in front of thousands of attendees. Bukele made an analogy of what has happened and what will happen in El Salvador.
He emphasized that for many years, international “experts” provided failed recipes for El Salvador to solve the woes that plagued it (for instance, gangs). These experts said that with luck, these ailments could be solved in decades, and these “international experts,” supported by international organizations, almost ended up destroying El Salvador.
Comparing the solutions given by the “experts,” who said it would take 50 years to eradicate gangs in El Salvador, Bukele explained that the country decided to apply its own recipe —a recipe that worked. In less than two years, El Salvador has practically eradicated that scourge which the “experts” claimed would take decades to solve, if at all.
The analogy Bukele provided also covered what lies ahead for El Salvador, as the country still has issues to resolve, such as economic problems. He said that with God’s help, these problems could also be solved, and similarly to how they dealt with gangs, if a bitter medicine is necessary, it will be taken.
Bukele mentioned this analogy by comparing two doctors: one who almost killed the country by giving solutions that sank it further (international organizations and “experts”), versus a doctor who provided a treatment that cured the nation’s illness, although the country has various ailments.
“Whom would you listen to: the doctor who cured you of cancer or the doctors who almost killed you and scammed you?“
Bukele asked
At this point, it is noteworthy that El Salvador, despite almost the entire international community opposing the measures taken in the country to solve the deadly gang problem, continued to receive condemnation from all sides and still does.
El Salvador, a country that received no help from any other nation, managed to apply a recipe that genuinely worked to heal an illness that nearly destroyed the country.
This was achieved primarily with God’s guidance and then with the work of the government and the collaboration of the entire population.
Bukele mentioned that El Salvador must continue taking this medicine to heal completely and that more bitter medicines will be taken if necessary to address the country’s other issues.
Currently, El Salvador has the lowest crime rates on the continent, making it the safest country in the Americas.
Now that El Salvador has almost fully recovered from the gang problem, it seeks to heal from other issues.
Bukele also noted that the same “experts” and international organizations are once again voicing their “advice,” wanting to offer solutions to the problems.
However, El Salvador managed to heal itself because it decided to stop following the supposed solutions and advice of the “experts” and international organizations, which only made the situation worse.
For this reason, Bukele mentioned the following:
“Let’s not lose perspective. Here we are not just changing a country; we are changing a paradigm. We have far exceeded what anyone could have imagined. Other nations can only wish to have what we have now.”
Nayib Bukele
The President indicated that three things are needed to cure the country’s other ailment, the poor economy.

First, God’s guidance is needed, then the tireless work of the government, and third, the people must defend every single decision made, just as they defended and supported the measures taken to eradicate gangs, although they have not been entirely eradicated yet. With God’s help, they will be completely removed from all streets, neighborhoods, villages, and hamlets in the country.
“Just as we made this country safe, we will make this country prosperous, but for that, we need everyone to defend each and every decision made.”
Nayib Bukele
“We overcame nearly half a century of systematic violence endorsed by foreign powers and driven by the malice and incompetence of previous governments.”
Nayib Bukele referred to the violence El Salvador suffered for nearly half a century, from the proxy war involving the USSR and the U.S., known as the Salvadoran Civil War, to the almost 30 years El Salvador suffered because of gangs.
Another point the President made is that all this was achieved without raising taxes by a single cent.
This is important because previous governments created a “security tax” of 5% for technology and telecommunications, supposedly to combat gangs (which never solved anything). This tax was eliminated under Nayib Bukele’s administration.