Trump threatens “hell to pay” as Honduras election count continues

U.S. President Donald Trump raised doubts on Monday about the counting of votes from the Honduran presidential election, saying there would be “hell to pay” if the results were changed.

As of Monday, with 57 percent of the vote counted, the top two candidates were in a virtual tie.

Newsweek contacted the National Electoral Council of Honduras for comment.

Why It Matters

Trump has weighed in on the Honduran election, endorsing conservative candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura, who he said would be a good ally to fight “narcocommunists” and counter drug trafficking.

The U.S. has raised concern in the region that it might launch military action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with Trump saying the airspace over the South American country should be closed. The U.S. has built up a powerful military force in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s pledge to combat drug trafficking.

What To Know

On Monday, Ana Paola Hall, the head of the National Electoral Council of Honduras, said the vote was close, and she appealed for patience as the ballots were carefully checked.

Hall wrote on X that with 57 percent of votes tallied, there were only 515 votes separating Asfura, the head of the right-wing National Party, and Salvador Nasralla, a former vice president.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the election commission in Honduras had stopped counting the votes from Sunday’s election at midnight that day.

“Looks like Honduras is trying to change the results of their Presidential Election. If they do, there will be hell to pay!” the U.S. president said.

He added that voters had turned out in “overwhelming numbers,” but the election commission stopped counting the vote at midnight on Sunday, after only 47 percent of the vote was tallied.

“Their count showed a close race between Tito Asfura and Salvador Nasralla with Asfura holding a narrow lead of 500 votes,” Trump continued.

Before the vote, polls showed Asfura as leading the race, with Nasralla in second. In third place was the ruling left-wing Libre party candidate, Rixi Moncada.

“Given this virtual tie, we must remain calm, be patient, and wait for the National Electoral Council to finish counting,” Hall said, adding, “Subsequently, the special scrutiny process will be carried out, thus finalizing the general count.”

Hall did not say the count had been stopped.

What People Are Saying

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “It is imperative that the Commission finish counting the Votes. Hundreds of thousands of Hondurans must have their Votes counted. Democracy must prevail!”

Trump said of Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Asfura in a post on Friday: “If he doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is.”

Ana Paola Hall wrote on X: “Patience and prudence are essential; the peace with which the process unfolded must be maintained until the final results are declared.”