Chastanet went to Trinidad in the hopes of forming a regional Opposition Leader caucus. He says this caucus will voice their concerns to regional bodies like CARICOM and the CDB.

“We are going to take this voice now to the region and form a collective group of leaders of the opposition,” Chastanet said.

In response, PM Rowley tells Trinidadians that Chastanet is no authority on leadership. Speaking at his first installment of Conversations with the Prime Minister for 2024, Dr Rowley squarely addressed the issue of crime in Trinidad and Tobago. He said that while the President’s call for both sides of the Parliamentary bench to come together on the matter went unanswered, the Opposition seems to have thrown their attention elsewhere.

“If Saint Lucia, who had Chastanet in their government to run their country throw him out of office unceremoniously, but he in Trinidad to try to tell us how to run Trinidad. No thanks Tropical Trump,” Rowley told his audience.

The remarks drew laughter and the attention of regional news outlets.