By The Daily Caller (World News) | Created at 2026-06-23 16:05:53 | Updated at 2026-06-24 22:46:38
1 day ago
Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer, businessman and dual-U.S. citizen backed by President Donald Trump, is poised to become Colombia’s next president.
De la Espriella narrowly won a presidential runoff June 21, defeating left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda, whom Trump called a “Radical Left Marxist,” by just 1%. He made crime and the economy a major centerpiece of his campaign, promising to crack down hard on drug cartels and armed guerrilla groups and reverse the policies of Colombia’s first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro. (RELATED: Meet The Pro-Trump Colombian Presidential Candidate Promising 10 New Mega-Prisons)
“The Trump administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States and strengthen our economic ties. Colombia’s best days are ahead,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday.
Just spoke to Colombian President-Elect @ABDELAESPRIELLA to congratulate him on his electoral victory.
The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 22, 2026
Cepeda promised to continue Petro’s policies, which included state pensions for poor citizens, pro-union labor reform, a moratorium on new oil projects and peace talks between the illegal and violent Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the National Liberation Army and the Clan del Golfo.
De la Espriella’s election could be a major turning point in the Trump administration’s war against drug cartels. He plans to go full tilt against narcotraffickers and armed groups wreaking havoc in Colombia, saying in a recent interview, “In my government, there will be no peace processes. Criminals who do not submit will be taken down, as permitted by the law.”
“I will dare to do what needs to be done within the framework of the constitution and the law to save and rebuild Columbia … I am the tiger for that,” he told Reuters in February.
BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA – JUNE 21: Abelardo de la Espriella, candidate for the Salvación Nacional party waves supporters after casting his vote during the 2026 presidential runoff in Colombia on June 21, 2026 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Ivan Cepeda, candidate for the Pacto Historico party and Abelardo de la Espriella, candidate for the Salvación Nacional, face in a tight runoff to rule Colombia from 2026 to 2030. According to the surveys, de la Espriella leads the election. (Photo by Leonardo Castañeda/Getty Images)
In addition to calling for 10 new mega prisons, he has also praised the U.S. military’s aerial strikes against alleged drug traffickers in South American waters, said he would want the Colombian military to do the same and supports Colombia joining a coalition of other Latin American countries fighting cartels.
Colombia is the latest Latin American country to elect a center-right or right-wing candidate for president. Since the Trump administration took a chainsaw to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), left-wing governments in Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica and Peru have lost national elections. USAID funding has long been accused of solely benefiting left-leaning social and political agendas in foreign countries. (RELATED: ROOKE: Something Weird Keeps Happening Now That Trump Neutered USAID)
De la Espriella lived and worked in Miami, Florida, before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2023. He also holds citizenship in Colombia as well as Italy.
