Related videos:
The president Donald Trump officially endorsed the Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, nicknamed "El Tigre," following his victory in the first round of elections in Colombia, which took place on Monday.
Trump posted the message on his platform Truth Social, where he declared his "full and complete support" for the candidate, whom he described as "an intelligent, strong, and tough leader" who "fights tirelessly for his great country and his people."
"For his enormous achievements in life and his political support for me, personally, it is an honor for me to give my total and complete support to Abelardo," Trump wrote.
The U.S. president also warned about De la Espriella's rival in the runoff, whom he described as a "radical leftist Marxist," and emphasized that the election results are "very important for the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States."
Trump outlined the priorities that he believes De la Espriella would advocate as president: growing the economy, creating jobs, promoting trade, curbing illegal immigration, fighting crime and drugs, and restoring "law and order."
De la Espriella led the first round with 9,791,468 votes (43.62%), with 95.12% of the polling stations counted, according to the National Registry of Colombia.
His rival in the runoff, Iván Cepeda, from the Historical Pact —the party of outgoing president Gustavo Petro— came in second with 9,231,677 votes (41.13%).
The runoff election is scheduled for June 21, 2026.
De la Espriella, a 47-year-old criminal lawyer, has never held public office and founded his firm, De La Espriella Lawyers Enterprise, in 2002.
He is a donor to the Republican Party of the United States, calls Elon Musk "compadre," and in January of this year, publicly urged Donald Trump Jr. to have his father's administration "put Petro in his place."
Trump's support comes at a time of deeply strained relations between Colombia and Washington under Petro's administration.
In September 2025, the Trump administration revoked Petro's visa, and in October of that year the Treasury sanctioned Petro, his wife, his son, and close officials for alleged ties to drug trafficking.
In December 2025, Trump warned that Colombia "would be next" in his pressures on governments in the region, and in February 2026 Petro traveled to Washington with a special visa to meet with Trump at the White House in an attempt at partial de-escalation.
Political scientist Camilo González summarized for Infobae Colombia the implications of a potential government led by De la Espriella: "What the United States does, in this case the Trump administration, is what Colombia will do."
Trump concluded his message with a sentence in capital letters: "!'El Tigre' Abelardo de la Espriella will not let down the wonderful people of Colombia!"
Filed under: