Supporters regard him as a man of action trying make life better for his millions of constituents. Critics consider him an incompetent tyrant. Combative and prone to hyperbole, he dominates headlines in media outlets he rails against and is skilled at weaving fact and fiction into conspiracy theories for an electorate quickly losing faith in institutions.

Rafael López Aliaga, 64, the mayor of Lima who has embraced the nickname “Porky” because of his resemblance to the cartoon character Porky Pig, has declared himself a follower of President Trump as he prepares to announce that he is running for president in Peru’s election next April.

Like Mr. Trump, Mr. López Aliaga casts himself as part of a global struggle against the dangers posed by what he calls a “lying, thieving and murderous” left. He is also a longstanding member of the conservative Catholic order Opus Dei who said he practices celibacy.

While he is not as well known as other Latin American right-wing politicians like President Javier Milei of Argentina and Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president, Mr. López Aliaga appears eager to join the club by aligning himself with the MAGA movement.

He spoke at a conference last year in Argentina organized by the Conservative Political Action Conference, an influential U.S. conservative group, snapped selfies at Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January and on Saturday held a memorial for Charlie Kirk at a park in Lima, to the bewilderment of some attendees who had never heard of the slain American activist.