Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, known as “El Tigre,” publicly thanked President Donald Trump on Wednesday after winning the first round of the country’s presidential election with nearly 44 percent of the vote.
Trump endorsed de la Espriella Tuesday on Truth Social, writing: “Because of his tremendous accomplishments in life, and his political support for me, personally, it is my Honor to give Abelardo my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
De la Espriella, 47, captured 43.74 percent of Sunday’s first-round vote, defeating progressive Sen. Ivan Cepeda, who received 40.9 percent. The two candidates will advance to a runoff election June 21.
“With my head held high and a heart full of patriotic gratitude, I receive your words and your steadfast support,” he wrote on X. “Thank you, Mr. President!”
“In you, I see a leader of true strength and conviction—one who refuses to yield to passing ideological trends or the enemies of freedom. You have paved the way for the people to defeat the entrenched powers that have long held sway. In Colombia, we have now begun to follow that same path.”
De la Espriella has never held elected office. He spent years living in Italy before returning to launch his presidential bid. A lawyer by training, he built his public profile representing high-profile Colombian clients, including former President Alvaro Uribe.
He ran as a hard-line outsider, modeling his crime platform after El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, whose mass incarceration campaign has driven homicide rates sharply lower. De la Espriella pledged to open 10 mega-prisons and declared open war on the armed groups that have terrorized Colombian communities for decades.
Trump’s endorsement is the latest sign of Washington’s deepening reach into Latin American politics. The administration has pressed Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador to aggressively pursue drug traffickers and criminal organizations. De la Espriella’s platform aligns closely with those priorities.
The Colombia election adds to a broader regional trend. Right-wing, crime-focused candidates have gained ground across Latin America in recent years, as populations in multiple countries have grown frustrated with rising violence and governments that treated negotiation with gangs as policy.
