Weeks before Bahamians are set to decide who will govern the country for the next five years, the government has hired two allies of President Donald Trump to help strengthen relations with the United States.

Coreco “CJ” Pearson, a MAGA youth influencer and commentator, has registered as a foreign agent and will be paid $20,000 a month.

In his filing, Pearson said he will “assist the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in its communications efforts to build stronger relations with the United States.”

Ahead of Pearson’s filing, Trump ally Roger Stone amended his own filing as a foreign agent on behalf of the country. Initially, Stone said DCI Group AZ, L.L.C, would be paid $125,000 a month to help The Bahamas “build stronger relations” with the U.S.; on March 25, he amended the filing to say he is being paid $100,000.

Contacted by The Miami Herald, Stone declined to comment. Joining him in lobbying efforts for The Bahamas is Doug Davenport, a former Trump attorney. The sun-drenched archipelago, located 50 miles off the east coast of Florida, recently got its first U.S. ambassador, former NFL running back Herschel Walker, in more than a decade.

The lobbying agreements come as Prime Minister Philip Davis’ Progressive Liberal Party seeks another term in office amid new tensions with China.

A week before Pearson’s filing, Walker publicly criticized the construction of a $285 million state-of-the-art hospital in Nassau being built with Chinese money. U.S. officials were “disappointed to see this project move forward so quickly when fundamental concerns about the terms of the deal remain unaddressed,” said Walker, who has been vocal about China’s role in The Bahamas since arriving in Nassau last year.

“I question the decision to rush forward with a deal that places the hospital financing under Chinese law and jurisdiction on Bahamian soil,” Walker said.

“The United States remains committed to supporting healthcare infrastructure that truly serves Bahamian interests, under terms that respect Bahamian sovereignty, adhere to international norms, and mitigate project risks for The Bahamas,” Walker added. “The United States’ offer to help The Bahamas secure better financing options — whether from public or private sources — remains on the table.”

Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, who serves as chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party and is seeking reelection, said his ministry “would seek an urgent clarification” from the U.S. government. But Mitchell, who is touting his support for healthcare on the campaign trail, told voters the groundbreaking of the new hospital had been delayed three years because of the government waiting for a response from “the United States government, which ultimately was not forthcoming.”

Bahamian authorities have not publicly said whether the latest developments are connected to their decision to hire lobbyists close to Trump’s orbit. But the moves are sure to ignite controversy. The opposition and members of the public have been criticizing government spending when nurses and other public sector workers can’t get paid.

According to a report by The Nassau Guardian newspaper, the Davis government has spent $250 million on consultancy services across ministries between July 2021 and March 2025.

Haiti, Guyana, the Dominican Republic and Grenada are among the Caribbean countries that have hired lobbyists with close ties both to the Republican Party and the Trump administration. The decisions have come amid increasing pressure from the Trump administration over Caribbean countries’ ties to Cuba, their use of Cuban medical professionals, and the administration’s restrictions on U.S. visas and push to get countries to accept third-country migrants deported from the U.S.

The elections race pits the ruling Progressive Liberal Party against the main opposition party, the Free National Movement, both of which face scrutiny in the U.S. over a high-profile drug trafficking case involving corruption in the country’s police force and allegations involving current and former officials. .

Among the first-time candidates is actor and retired NBA player Rick Fox, who is running for parliament on the opposition ticket.

A video of Fox went viral on Thursday showing him in a dispute over the placement of a campaign tent. Fox appeared to lunge at a man before shoving his campaign manager, Carlyle Bethel, the son of the former attorney general, as Bethel tried to restrain him.

In comments to TMZ Sports, Fox said he and his campaign manager’s lives had been threatened, and that he was standing up to what he described as bullying by the current government.

“The opposition party that is in power are notorious for victimizing and bullying Bahamians,” Fox said in a statement. “But I’ve been standing up to them, and in this video, my campaign manager’s life was threatened and so was mine by someone on their party.”

He likened his actions to his career as a basketball player, first at University of North Carolina and later in the NBA.

“I stood up to the bully no different than my basketball career when I was the enforcer,” Fox said. “Someone threatens a teammate’s life or threatens my life, I will defend to the death if necessary.”

(Staff writer Claire Heddles contributed to this report.)

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