Donald Trump Endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella’s Presidential Candidacy in Colombia
A significant endorsement was received this Tuesday by Colombia’s far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, winner of the first round of the presidential election held last Sunday. The endorsement came from U.S. President Donald Trump, adding another element to an electoral campaign marked by polarization.
“Congratulations to Colombian presidential candidate El Tigre, Abelardo de la Espriella, a smart, strong, and tenacious leader, on his resounding victory in the first round of the Colombian presidential election! Abelardo fights tirelessly for his great country and its people, and he loves them, just as I love the United States of America,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Abelardo would be a tremendous success”: Donald Trump
De la Espriella received 10,361,499 votes and defeated Ivan Cepeda, the candidate backed by President Gustavo Petro, who obtained 9,688,361 votes. Immediately afterward, the Colombian president refused to accept the results, completing his strategy of discrediting the National Registry and casting doubt on the vote-counting process.
President Trump’s statement underscores the importance that Colombia’s elections have for the region, where the United States government has been developing a new security policy that directly confronts drug trafficking and challenges left-wing totalitarian regimes.
Trump added in his message that “as president, Abelardo would be a tremendous success in leading Colombia to grow its economy, create jobs, promote trade, stop illegal immigration, fight crime and drugs, and restore public order.”
This is the second major international endorsement received by De la Espriella. Two days before election day in Colombia, the far-right candidate received support from Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who also announced the lifting of tariffs that he had imposed on Colombian products amid his dispute with President Petro.
But President Trump also had words for Petro’s candidate. He stated that De la Espriella will face “a radical left-wing Marxist in the June 21 runoff.” Likewise, he described the results of that election as “crucial” for Colombia and for its relationship with the United States.
De la Espriella responds to Trump
“Because of his great achievements and my personal political support, it is my honor to give Abelardo my complete and total endorsement,” Trump continued, closing his message with a statement written entirely in capital letters, saying that “El Tigre Abelardo de la Espriella will not let the people of Colombia down.”
It took only a few minutes for De la Espriella to respond to Trump. “The United States is crucial in combating crime and narco-terrorism in our country. I am deeply honored to receive the firm support of President Donald Trump and his administration, and I know that in the era of the Tiger, we will forge an alliance unlike any Colombia has ever had,” he wrote on his X account.
Trump’s words will undoubtedly have an impact on Colombia’s electoral contest because they signal to broad sectors of the population, including the highly coveted undecided voters, which option they should choose and which one is preferred by the northern power.
Relations between Trump and Petro deteriorated because of statements by the Colombian president rejecting the deportation of Colombian citizens to their country. Later, in New York, Petro called on that country’s military personnel to disobey their commander-in-chief, that is, Donald Trump.
As a result, Colombia was decertified in its fight against drugs, and President Petro was added to the Clinton List. Although the differences between the two leaders were apparently resolved through a visit by Petro to the White House, it became clear that he does not enjoy Trump’s favor or sympathy.