United States · 3 November 2026
Democrats win the House and the Senate
Democrats won both chambers, including seats in Republican strongholds, as voters expressed frustration over the war with Iran, the cost of living and the President's conduct. Records Democratic control of both chambers and voters' frustrations over high prices, the Iran war and government corruption; Senate flips included Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. AP VoteCast: six in ten voters said the US made the wrong decision in taking military action against Iran, but only about a third called the war a crucial factor. NBC: 34% crucial, 40% a major factor. The President told Fox News: “I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran.”
American opinion · March–November 2026
The Iran war in the polls
59% said the decision to use military force in Iran was wrong and 38% right; 61% disapproved of the President's handling of the conflict. 53% of Americans opposed the war and 34% supported it; 62% opposed sending ground troops. 54% opposed military action against Iran and 39% supported it, the widest margin in Navigator's tracking; 58% said the war had not been worth it. 65% disapproved of the President's handling of the military action against Iran and 33% approved; 47% expected it to last more than a year. Polling average on the eve of the election: 36% support and 57% opposition.
Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs · 28 February 2026
Posted, withdrawn, reissued
Expresses “support for the continued actions of the United States of America aimed at preventing oppressive regimes from acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities”, sympathy for all loss of life, and solidarity with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. Israel is not named. A first statement was posted on Facebook around 4 pm and retracted after at least an hour; the reissued statement came after 8 pm without the word “allies” and with sympathy for loss of life. Minister Sean Sobers said the Government was “still assessing the situation”. Reports that the Government initially signalled support for both the US and Israel and then withdrew support for Israel, and records the call by activist Nafeesa Mohammed for consultation with Muslim leaders. While Port of Spain aligned itself with Washington, other regional governments urged restraint and negotiation; Guyana condemned Iran's attacks on Gulf states and called on all parties to de-escalate. Argues that the Government's alignment with Washington reflected “hard-nosed pragmatism”, citing the Iranian state's lethal crackdown on protesters. The Prime Minister told the House that Paria held enough fuel and that the Government was “providing diplomatic support for the unfettered freedom of navigation through the Strait” of Hormuz.
Israel · 2026
American sympathies shift as Port of Spain draws closer
41% sympathise more with the Palestinians and 36% with the Israelis, against 46%–33% a year earlier. Gallup notes the five-point gap is not statistically significant; from 2001 to 2018 the Israeli lead averaged 43 points. Records that a New York Times/Siena poll in September 2025 found 35% of registered voters sympathised more with the Palestinians and 34% with Israel, against 47% for the Israelis before the Gaza war. The largest shift in Gallup's 2026 survey came among independents, who moved from 42–34 in the Israelis' favour in 2025 to 41–30 in the Palestinians' favour. 60% of US adults held an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 53% in 2025 and 42% in 2022; 59% had little or no confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu. In both parties, majorities of adults under 50 rated Israel unfavourably. Records declining support for Israel, especially among younger Americans and Democrats, and tens of millions of dollars spent by AIPAC-affiliated groups in the Illinois primary. AIPAC created a PAC and the United Democracy Project super PAC ahead of the 2022 cycle; in 2026 some Democrats declared they had sworn off its money, and Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Senate primary after attacking his opponent's AIPAC support. AIPAC had raised $233 million for the cycle and had become a campaign issue in itself, with some candidates rejecting its support or wearing its opposition as a badge of honour. Records that the United Democracy Project spent a record $14.5 million against Jamaal Bowman in 2024, in advertising that did not mention Israel. AIPAC told members it would stop endorsing candidates, making direct PAC contributions and earmarking funds, calling 2026 “one of the most challenging environments in recent memory”; its super PAC continues. Public opinion on Israel has changed, but the issue did not rank among most voters' top midterm priorities. Mattanya Aharon Cohen presented credentials as Israel's non-resident ambassador, based in Panama. Talks covered agriculture, education, cybersecurity, smart cities, climate resilience, institutional capacity, public-private partnerships and small business. Ambassador Neil Parsan's account of the delegation remaining for the address and its continued support for a two-state settlement.
Opposition Leader · 20 January 2025
“A disaster for the American people and the world”
Full text of the Opposition Leader's statement on the inauguration, including “The previous administration in the US has been a disaster for the American people and the world” and “President Trump is the leader America needs right now”. Sets the 2025 statement beside her 2020 congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: “Their victory is one for hope and unity over dishonesty and division.” The then Foreign Affairs Minister said some of the language was “at best undiplomatic and at worst completely ill-advised and actually dangerous to the interests of Caricom and of Trinidad and Tobago”.
Doral, Florida · February–March 2026
Rubio, the coalition and the pen
Secretary Rubio “commended Trinidad and Tobago as a strong U.S. partner in the Caribbean and acknowledged Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar's public support for U.S. military operations in the South Caribbean Sea”. Leaders of twelve countries attended the Doral summit; the front row included the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and President Irfaan Ali of Guyana. Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana joined the coalition at Doral; Trump: “The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all.” The Prime Minister was presented with the pen used to sign. The official recording shows the President signing the proclamation, handing signing pens to leaders around the desk, and the Prime Minister holding one as he displays the signed document. US Government work, public domain. Records the President's remarks: “This is Kamla as opposed to Kamala. I like Kamla better, in many ways” and “We don't like 'Kam'”, and the handing of the pen after he signed the proclamation. The Prime Minister said Trinidad and Tobago stood proud and committed to the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition; she was the only woman among the invited heads. Photograph by U.S. Army Spc. Avian Amsdill of the Prime Minister's visit to SOUTHCOM headquarters, where she discussed defence cooperation with Gen. Francis L. Donovan. Marked public domain.
CARICOM · September 2025–November 2026
From “false ideal” to “no quarter”
At the General Assembly: “The notion that the Caribbean is a zone of peace has become a false ideal.” Other CARICOM leaders used their addresses to call for the region to remain a zone of peace. The CARICOM statement of 18 October reaffirmed the zone of peace “save in respect of TT, (which) reserved its position”; the Ministry then expressed “strong support for the on-going military intervention of the US in the region”. “I do not consider Caricom a reliable partner and over the next couple years there will be a significant realignment of our foreign policy.” Foreign Minister Sean Sobers confirmed that Trinidad and Tobago had applied for membership of Mercosur; the Prime Minister said ties with CARICOM would be sustained. Ralph Gonsalves, former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, rejected the Prime Minister's account of the Barnett reappointment, defended its legality under Article 28 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and warned that leaving CARICOM would mean tariffs and economic pain. The Prime Minister challenged the reappointment of Secretary-General Carla Barnett, saying the organisation “should absolutely expect no quarter from my government” while “Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to CARICOM”. Guyana's President Irfaan Ali backed the reappointment. AP's report on the widening dispute between Port of Spain and other CARICOM governments over the Secretary-General's reappointment and US policy in the region. The Prime Minister said CARICOM could expel Trinidad and Tobago if it wished and that the country would not recognise Carla Barnett as Secretary-General after August, while saying it was not withdrawing. At a virtual meeting the majority of leaders present accepted the reappointment. The Prime Minister withdrew from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, citing “a bad case of flu”; Foreign Minister Sean Sobers led the delegation.
Venezuela · October 2025–September 2026
Persona non grata to persona grata
Venezuela's National Assembly voted unanimously to declare the Prime Minister persona non grata and endorsed the suspension of energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago. The Prime Minister called the declaration useless and said her Government would continue to support interdiction against narco-traffickers. Asked for a message to acting President Delcy Rodríguez, the Prime Minister said: “I love her. I look forward to meeting her.” She added: “I will meet with anyone who wishes to meet me.” The leaders met at Venezuela's UN mission on 23 September; the Prime Minister was described as persona grata, eleven months after the persona non grata declaration. Opposition Senator Dr Amery Browne: “One is anticipated to demonstrate principle. One is anticipated to demonstrate dignity. And one is anticipated and called upon to demonstrate consistency.”
UN General Assembly · 2024–2026
The Cuba embargo resolution
Records the 2025 tally of 165–7–12 and the 2024 tally of 187–2–1, when only the United States and Israel voted against. Adopted 165–7–12. Every CARICOM member of the United Nations, Trinidad and Tobago included, voted yes. Adopted by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. Trinidad and Tobago became the first CARICOM country to vote against; Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana abstained; the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and Suriname voted yes; Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St Lucia were absent. Records that Trinidad and Tobago voted for the resolution more than 30 times, including throughout the 2010–2015 People's Partnership government led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “We cannot demand democracy and free and fair elections for ourselves and remain silent when those freedoms are denied for neighbouring citizens in neighbouring countries.”
UN General Assembly · 2023–2026
The ICC report resolution
Adopted 115–6–31; Trinidad and Tobago sponsored the text and voted yes, as did the United States. Adopted 113–10–30; Trinidad and Tobago and the United States voted yes. Adopted 94–10–34; Trinidad and Tobago voted yes and the United States no. A/81/L.11 adopted by 93 votes to 13, with 36 abstentions. Barbados and Guyana voted for the resolution; Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were not present. From 2005 to 2022 the resolution was adopted without a vote, with Trinidad and Tobago at times a sponsor; the Ministry had made no official statement on the abstention.
UN General Assembly · 3 June 2026
Elected to the Security Council
Elected with 181 votes for the 2027–2028 term, beginning on 1 January 2027.
Reaction · 4 November 2026
A policy “guided by the principles of non-partisanship”
Taiwan's foreign ministry: policy toward the United States “has always been guided by the principles of non-partisanship, building broad-based goodwill, and active engagement”.
Method
How the company Trinidad and Tobago keeps is measured
For each recorded vote, the share is the number of states that cast the same vote as Trinidad and Tobago divided by all states that voted yes, no or abstained. States that did not vote are excluded. No composite index of diplomatic standing is constructed, because none exists that could be applied consistently. CARICOM counts include only members that took a recorded position; Montserrat, a CARICOM member that is not a UN member state, is excluded from UN vote counts. The political capital ledger is an editorial scoring of documented events, not a measurement: the total starts at 100 before the September 2025 General Assembly address, and each event moves it by one fixed rule — −10 for breaking with a recorded CARICOM position, a formal measure by another government, or escalating a dispute with a regional institution; −5 for disparaging regional partners, a rebuke from a serving or former CARICOM head, or a withdrawn statement; +5 for a restored bilateral relationship; +10 for a measurable vote of international confidence; 0 for realignments recorded only for context.
Extracts are summarised from the document of record, which is linked above. Where a passage is disputed, this newsroom will publish the correction alongside the extract.