Trump congratulates Colombia presidential candidate
In the wake of an initial ballot count, Donald Trump extended his congratulations to Abelardo De La Espriella, affectionately called ‘El Tigre’ by supporters. Although official confirmation is pending, De La Espriella’s slim advantage hints at a potential right-leaning shift for Colombia. (Reuters.)
On Wednesday, progressive candidate Iván Cepeda admitted defeat in Colombia’s presidential race to conservative newcomer Abelardo de la Espriella, who gained backing from none other than President Donald Trump.
This concession followed several days of reluctance on Cepeda’s part to acknowledge the preliminary results that pointed towards de la Espriella’s apparent victory.
Addressing the nation, Cepeda stated, “With the current vote count, I’ve chosen to accept the process’s outcome, indicating Abelardo de la Espriella as the new President of the Republic.”
He added, “This decision is made in the spirit of democratic responsibility.”
Colombia’s right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, from the Defensores de la Patria movement, delivers a speech to supporters during a campaign rally in Palmira, near Cali, Colombia on May 14, 2026. Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 31. (Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP via Getty Images)
De la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never previously run for office, known to his supporters as “El Tigre,” defeated Senate member Iván Cepeda by one percentage point in a remarkably close election, according to officials.
“The vote count shows an extraordinarily narrow margin between the two options vying for the trust of the Colombian people,” he said. “Less than 1% of the vote separates the candidacies that participated in this contest.”
Despite his concession, Cepeda made serious allegations that de la Espriella’s victory was influenced by “foreign interference” by the United States and the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate voters.
“During this process, we denounced the open and improper foreign interference in Colombia’s internal affairs—particularly the interventions by the United States government, and specifically the interventions by President Donald Trump in support of Abelardo de la Espriella’s candidacy,” he said.
He further accused the opposing campaign of widespread vote-buying and unethical tactics that he said undermined the legitimacy of the election results.
ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION
Ivan Cepeda speaks during a campaign rally in Cali, Colombia, on June 6, 2026. The leftist candidate is set to face conservative attorney Abelardo De La Espriella in Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff election. (AFP via Getty Images)
President-elect de la Espriella will begin his four-year term in August.
“Starting August 7, we will work with determination to consolidate a common agenda that strengthens the security, freedom, and prosperity of our nations,” de la Espriella in a post on X.
The result will effectively end outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s leftist influence on the state and the policies Cepeda had pledged to continue if he won the election.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, left, and President Donald Trump are shown in separate photographs. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A core pillar of Petro’s signature agenda was his “total peace” strategy, aimed at opening negotiations with remaining guerrilla forces, drug cartels, and armed paramilitary groups in an effort to end Colombia’s decades long internal conflict.
In contrast, de la Espriella has pledged a more hardline approach, including a militarized crackdown on criminal organizations, proposals to build mega-prisons, expand fossil fuel fracking, and revive the controversial practice of aerial glyphosate spraying to eradicate coca crops.
The president-elect, who holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, has also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed “Shield of the Americas,” a proposed coalition aimed at coordinating efforts against criminal groups in Latin America.