Minister unbothered by US VP’s T&T crime remarks; says it targeted PNM era

Senior Reporter

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Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers says he takes no issue with United States Vice President JD Vance citing T&T as an example of high crime, as he believes Vance was referring to conditions under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.

Minister Sobers said if that is, in fact, the case, then the US VP was expressing the truth.

On August 20, Vice President JD Vance, joined by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, was booed by protesters while visiting National Guard troops at Union Station as part of President Donald Trump’s security crackdown in Washington, DC.

Vance told reporters, “You hear these guys outside; they appear to hate the idea that Americans can enjoy their communities, and they do. The fact that DC, a week ago, had a higher murder rate than Trinidad and Tobago, which the United States State Department has said you shouldn’t visit because it’s unsafe. We ought to be able to enjoy great American cities. That’s what we’re trying to do in the Trump administration.”

Asked for this country’s view on Vance’s statement, Sobers said he is entitled to his opinion and does not see it as an indictment on the current United National Congress (UNC) Government.

“And to be fair, when you examine what was said, he’s speaking about a position that essentially would have been the status quo for about nine years under the previous administration. And if that’s what he’s speaking about, that’s the truth,” Sobers said.

The minister added, “I suspect he would have been speaking about that time of yesteryear, earlier when the PNM was in government, as opposed to when we are in government now.”

On July 4, Kamla Persad-Bissessar congratulated the United States on its Independence Day, praising its “enduring commitment to liberty and justice,” which she said has made the US “a source of inspiration and leadership across the globe.”

Persad-Bissessar added, “Trinidad and Tobago deeply values the longstanding bonds of friendship and mutual respect shared with the United States. Our nations are united by shared democratic principles, vibrant diaspora ties, and ongoing cooperation in areas of security, education, trade, and cultural exchange.”

Considering these comments and the commitment to friendship, Sobers was asked if Government felt betrayed or slighted by Vance’s remarks.

“I’m not going to say that, and I don’t feel that way at all,” Sobers responded.

He, however, stressed that the current administration has improved the crime problem in this country.

“The situation is that currently, right now, factually, the murder rate and the crime rate in the country are reducing. We have the data and the statistics to prove it. The Police Commissioner would have come out and said it on a number of occasions. Other criminologists would have said it as well, too.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister said he does not believe Vance’s comments will harm the country’s image or affect potential foreign investment opportunities.

“Since we’ve been in office, we have received, and from the Foreign Ministry, we’ve been getting so many calls from so many different countries around the world that have a lot of interest in doing commercial activity in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Sobers added, “Our Prime Minister has made it clear on an invariable amount of occasions that Trinidad and Tobago is open to doing business. We are a commercial country, and apart from foreign affairs, many multinational companies have reached out to several other different ministries to say, ‘We’re ready to do business with Trinidad and Tobago.’ Is it a coincidence that this is connected to the UNC being in government? Maybe.”