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Newly appointed United States Ambassador to Belize André Bauer arrived in the country this afternoon. Bauer, accompanied by several family members, arrived aboard American Airlines Flight 447, which landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport at approximately 12:44 p.m. He was officially received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and key staff members of the US Embassy. Shortly after, inside the VIP Lounge, Ambassador Bauer had his first interview with the local media, outlining his sentiments on moving to Belize for the next three years.
André Bauer, U.S.Ambassador to Belize: “We look forward to being part of this community in this country. The president has sent me here to try to continue to work on our relations. We have an incredible relationship that’s lasted decades now between our two countries. We have so many mutual interests and so many big things getting ready to happen. When you look at the MCC, for example, there’s exciting things that are gonna help the people of this country and help our country and move opportunities forward for so many Belizeans and so I’m excited to get to be a part of that. The president has sent me here with a message to try to improve safety, security, and opportunities for both countries. And we are really going to focus on that. I think he picked a business person with some background in that to give a different perspective. And so I am extremely excited to be here. I thought I was coming to visit you and Belize in 2020. I was nominated for this post by President Trump in 2020. And it was late in the administrative, it was the last year of his administration and things didn’t work out, the Senate didn’t ever take up any of the confirmations in my Ambassadorial class. I went to class, I learned all about Belize in 2020. Well, not all about it, but I learned a lot about the people of Belize, what they do, so many things they’re proud of and was real excited to come when Andre was just a baby, we thought we were coming. God had a different timing plan for us. He planned on us coming to Belize, he just planned on a different time. And so six years later we’re here, I got a few more gray hairs in my head, maybe a hair more wisdom and a lot more opportunity with my children here, my wife here, for us to engage, become part of this community and to let people see really what Americans have in their heart. You know how many tourists you have. This is the biggest. More Americans come here than any other country and they were loaded up on the plane just a little while ago. They come here because they love this culture. They love what Belize is about and they want to be a part of it. I’m like them, I want to be a part of it. And so we are looking forward to engagement. We’re looking forward to doing things that will help both of our countries. And we’re looking forward to making Belize even better than it already is.”
Bauer is a former South Carolina legislator and served two terms as that state’s lieutenant governor. His appointment, however, has also renewed attention on controversial remarks he made while seeking the governorship of South Carolina in 2010. At the time, Bauer was heavily criticised after comparing the provision of government assistance to feeding stray animals, a comparison his political opponents described as offensive and demeaning to people receiving public support. Asked about the controversy this afternoon, Bauer clarified the context and intention behind the comments he made more than sixteen years ago.
André Bauer, U.S.Ambassador to Belize: “If I didn’t know the background and the way the press tried to present it, I would feel the same way they did. But I’ll tell you, number one it wasn’t about healthcare. It was about generational problems where we don’t lift people up. If you just give someone enough dollars to get by but you show them no vehicle to lift themselves up, America’s about opportunity. It’s about giving people a vehicle, a pathway to better themselves and better their family. And so when America has a policy that I disagree with, because I actually qualified for free lunches when I was I came from a broken home and I qualified and so I believe in doing all we can instead of just giveaways, things like healthcare or transportation to help someone get to their job or someone to take care of the children while they’re trying to get an education so they can fully not have to always worry about the government taking care of them. I’m all about opportunity, access, and lifting people up. Not saying, “hey here’s where you’re always going to be.” And so some people in government sound real good about saying “hey we want to do this.” But a lot of times, the difficult conversation is the one I have, the one where you get beat up by the media because you engage in real discussions about change. It’s easy to be the person to say, “hey, I just want to give away money. I’m from the government. I’m here to help you.” If you really want to help people, sometimes you have to have very difficult conversations. Are you a parent?”
Bauer’s arrival restores ambassador-level representation following the departure of former US Ambassador Michelle Kwan on January 16, 2025. The embassy has since been headed by a chargé d’affaires. The new ambassador is expected to formally begin his diplomatic duties after presenting his credentials to Governor-General Dame Froyla Tzalam
English (US) ·