From Colombian Prison to Panama City Mayor's Office

Hey everyone, I am here in Panama with the mayor of Panama, whose name is Mayor. Your mom knew, she just knew. Right, that was like a good call. Moms always know. What's fascinating to me about Mayor is that all of us know what happens when the government grows and grows and grows in power, and there is really no better example than what happened to Mayor with censorship. So I want you to hear his story. Just give us a quick briefing, how did you end up in jail and then you became the mayor? Right, I was all 27 years old, I'm 38 now, so 10 years ago the government of Panama used a contract that I had with the government to go against politicians. And regardless of the facts, they put me in a jail, they shut down, they shut my bank accounts, they closed my Instagram, my social media, everything. And the media wouldn't take any interviews, they didn't want the truth, they wanted their story. So it was 10 years of an uphill battle to become an undeniable voice that later converted that into action and social impact that got me elected with the cheapest campaign in history with zero advertising, zero funds raised. And that was thanks to whatever freedom of speech you were able to find through social media. And I gotta say, if Twitter wasn't purchased by Elon Musk and converted into tax, I don't think I would be here today. I can't imagine what it was like for you to sit there in jail in Colombia thinking about what the next day would be like, yet years later you look back and you are now the mayor. Yeah, it's crazy because it's like a magic trick, it's like I jumped into water, I came out dry because I've got a clean criminal record. So how were they able to stick me in a prison where they literally put convicts? And what did I think about next day? Well, I thought I was coming out every day. And it was a hard up and down, emotional up and down, lifting your spirits and then being thrown back down to the ground and lifting them. It was like that every day for six months. So many young Americans are confused about socialism, communism, capitalism, fairness. What is your advice living here in Panama after what you went through? What should Americans know that they don't know because they haven't seen what Latin America looks like when big government takes over? Listen, you don't want government in every part of your life. Even in my administration, I've reduced the size of government. I cut the staff by 50%, the budget by 38%. And I'm trying to create a system where it's independent from the government. And I'm trying to reduce the size of government and making sure that it's the people, businesses, entrepreneurs, the people that are in control, not the government, because I'm a great politician. Every politician will say that, but I don't know who the next guy is going to be. So I'm going to create a system that is not in my fit, that it's in everyone else's fair. And I think that's what you want in your politician free market economies that create efficiencies, prosperity, and opportunity to everyone alike. Well, Mayor, what I want in politicians, in addition to honesty, is courage and bravery. And I think we're starting to see a generation of people who are stepping into the political world where they're willing to do what is right and have the courage to fight even at a heavy price, like the one that you paid. And so you're an inspiration. Americans love Panama. We love coming here. We love that you have been able to make the right choices and inside with us, the United States. And so we're going to be watching. We're going to be watching y'all. And we love America too. And we are blessed that America has paid attention and cared for Panama again. We're lucky and we're looking forward to the next 10, 20, 50 years of our relationship as the beacon of American democracy in Latin America. This is a country that was created thanks to America. And I got to say, America is our strongest ally, not just in trade, but in values. And that's what matters the most. So thank you for what you guys are doing, because it influences everything that you do. Well, bless you. And friends, follow the mayor of Panama on X and on Instagram. I'm sure he's going to be doing great things. And come visit here. It's a lot of fun. Especially in the winter. It's always summer here.