An unannounced agenda and mid-trip Cabinet changes fuel uncertainty around the president’s latest visit.

A trip with no public explanation

President Daniel Noboa returned to Ecuador early Friday after a three-day visit to the United States that unfolded without a single public appearance, agenda, or official explanation. The Presidency had announced only that he would be abroad from November 18th to 20th, offering no details about the purpose of the trip or who he would meet once he landed in the United States.

Noboa departed Quito aboard the presidential aircraft and flew to Teterboro Airport, just outside Manhattan—a route he has taken multiple times before. His office remained silent throughout the visit, despite repeated inquiries from Ecuadorian journalists seeking clarity on how the president was using his time overseas.

Governing from abroad

Though his activities remained hidden, Noboa did make two significant decisions while in the United States. On Wednesday, signing from Washington, he issued a decree related to Cabinet changes. A second decree, signed the following day in New York, appointed Assemblywoman Nataly Morillo as Minister of Government.

Morillo’s naming came after broadcaster Álvaro Rosero stepped back from assuming the position, leaving a high-profile vacancy in one of the administration’s key ministries. The appointment was the only concrete action confirmed during the president’s trip, raising further questions about why such decisions were handled from outside the country and under circumstances of complete secrecy.

A journey timed after a political setback

The trip took place just days after Ecuadorian voters soundly rejected the four questions Noboa had put forward in a national referendum. His proposal for a Constituent Assembly—aimed at replacing the 2008 Constitution—was defeated by margins exceeding 60% of valid votes.

The public also rejected the idea of allowing foreign military bases on Ecuadorian soil, shrinking the size of the National Assembly from 151 to 73 seats, and eliminating state financing for political parties.

These results represented a major political blow for the president, who has not addressed the outcome publicly except for a brief message on his X account stating that he “respects the will of the people.” His silence, paired with the secretive nature of his U.S. visit, has fueled speculation about the administration’s next steps following its electoral defeat.

A long-standing personal and official connection to the U.S.

Noboa, born in Miami in 1987, has traveled frequently to the United States throughout his presidency. Since first taking office in 2023, he has flown there at least thirteen times for both personal and governmental matters.

One such trip occurred in early 2024 when his third child was born in Miami, a detail the public became aware of only after his return. His repeated visits—and the opacity surrounding some of them—have become an increasingly noted aspect of his time in office.

With no public account of what he did during his latest journey, his quiet return to Ecuador has left political analysts, legislators, and citizens alike waiting for clarity about the purpose of the trip and how it fits into the broader challenges now facing his administration.