Trump Congratulates Colombia’s ‘El Tigre’ as Election Lead Holds, Opponent Files Legal Challenge
Trump congratulated Abelardo De La Espriella — widely known as ‘El Tigre’ — after the first ballot count, though the result remains unofficial, indicating a possible rightward shift for Colombia.
President Donald Trump praised conservative attorney and businessman Abelardo de la Espriella on Monday at the White House, noting his narrow lead and status as the favorite over left‑wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, while officials have not yet certified the outcome.
With 99.9% of votes counted, de la Espriella held a 49.7% to 48.7% advantage over Cepeda. His support was strongest in the mountainous interior and the vote‑rich Antioquia region, whereas Cepeda secured victories in Bogotá and performed well along the coast, echoing recent electoral patterns.
Cepeda has contested the results, alleging irregularities at thousands of polling stations, though overturning the outcome would be unprecedented in Colombian history.
Should de la Espriella maintain his lead and win, it will reflect a broader rightward shift across Latin America, similar to recent elections in Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, where conservative Keiko Fujimori is poised to assume the presidency.
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Abelardo de la Espriella, a right‑wing presidential candidate representing the Defensores de la Patria movement, addresses supporters at a campaign rally in Palmira, near Cali, on May 14, 2026, ahead of the May 31 presidential election. (Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP via Getty Images)
At a White House signing on Monday, Trump told reporters that de la Espriella called him the night before to thank him for his endorsement, declaring, “He won. He won the election,” and adding that U.S.–Colombia relations would be “much better” and that de la Espriella would be “a great president.”
The race pits two candidates at opposite ends of Colombia’s political spectrum. De la Espriella, dubbed “El Tigre” by supporters, enjoys enthusiastic backing from Donald Trump, advocates a return to the law‑and‑order policies of former President Alvaro Uribe, and pledges an aggressive military campaign against guerrilla groups and criminal networks, whereas Cepeda promises to continue Petro’s negotiation‑based approach.
Ivan Cepeda, a longstanding figure on Colombia’s left, has served as a senator for 12 years after a four‑year term in the Chamber of Representatives. His father, Manuel Cepeda, a prominent member of the Colombian Communist Party, was assassinated in 1994 amid a particularly violent period of the nation’s internal conflict.
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Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the Defensores de la Patria party, addresses supporters behind bulletproof glass at a closing rally in Medellin on May 24, 2026, ahead of the May 31 election. (Jaime Saldarriaga/AFP Via Getty Images)
The first round, held on May 31, resulted in de la Espriella receiving 43.7% of the vote, Cepeda 40.9%, and right‑wing Senator Paloma Valencia finishing third with 6.9%.
On Sunday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated de la Espriella, stating that the Trump administration looks forward to collaborating with the incoming government to strengthen regional security and curb illegal immigration to the United States.
Ivan Cepeda addresses supporters at a campaign rally in Cali on June 6, 2026, preparing for a June 21 runoff against conservative attorney Abelardo De La Espriella. (AFP via Getty Images)
Colombian President Petro Threatens Military Action after Trump Warns Country Could Be Next Target
Although the issues driving U.S. and Colombian politics differ, de la Espriella’s insurgent outsider campaign mirrored Trump’s approach, as neither candidate held elected or appointed office before winning, and both ran largely outside traditional party structures.
The paramount safety and security concerns propelled de la Espriella to victory, as he cultivated a strongman image to aggressively challenge the Petro administration’s policy of pursuing peace through negotiation with armed groups.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, left, and President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Trump warned that Petro would be ‘next’ amid rising tensions over U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and drug trafficking activities. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It is widely believed that Petro’s negotiation‑based approach and restraint on military action have enabled groups such as the ELN (National Liberation Army) and dissident FARC factions to regroup, increase recruitment, and retake control of strategic territory and drug trafficking routes.
De la Espriella pledged an aggressive military campaign to reclaim territory from terrorist groups and cartels, and promised to construct “mega‑prisons” modeled on El Salvador’s approach under Nayib Bukele.
A de la Espriella administration is expected to restore free‑market economics, reduce governmental economic intervention, and push for lower taxes.
A strengthened U.S.–Colombia relationship is all but certain, following a period of heightened tensions between Petro and Trump that produced a series of acrimonious social‑media exchanges; historically, Colombia has been the United States’ most reliable regional ally, though that bond has weakened under Petro’s presidency.
