The results of this election are very important for the future of Colombia
En los márgenes de la democracia colombiana, una voz exterior irrumpió con fuerza: Donald Trump respaldó públicamente a Abelardo de la Espriella, el abogado y empresario de derecha que sorprendió al establishment político al obtener el 43,74% de los votos en la primera vuelta presidencial del domingo. El gesto no fue sutil ni diplomático —fue una declaración de afinidad ideológica entre dos figuras que comparten una visión del orden, la seguridad y el poder. Con la segunda vuelta fijada para el 21 de junio, Colombia enfrenta ahora una pregunta que trasciende sus fronteras: ¿hasta qué punto la política interior de una nación puede seguir siendo solo suya?
- De la Espriella sacudió al sistema al superar por casi tres puntos al favorito Iván Cepeda, acumulando más de 10 millones de votos como candidato outsider.
- Trump intervino sin ambigüedad, llamándolo 'El Tigre' y advirtiendo que los resultados de esta elección son 'muy importantes' para el futuro de la relación bilateral.
- El respaldo estadounidense no llegó solo: Paloma Valencia y Álvaro Uribe ya habían sumado su apoyo, consolidando una coalición de derecha en tiempo récord.
- De la Espriella aceptó el endoso con entusiasmo, prometiendo una alianza con Washington en materia de crimen y narcoterrorismo que marcaría un giro histórico en la política colombiana.
- La segunda vuelta del 21 de junio se perfila como un referéndum no solo sobre Colombia, sino sobre el alcance del trumpismo como fuerza política transnacional en América Latina.
El martes por la mañana, Donald Trump publicó en Truth Social su respaldo 'completo y total' a Abelardo de la Espriella, el candidato de derecha que dos días antes había dejado atónito al establishment colombiano al ganar la primera vuelta presidencial con el 43,74% de los votos —más de 10 millones de colombianos— superando por casi tres puntos al favorito Iván Cepeda. El resultado había enviado ondas de choque por los círculos políticos de Bogotá.
Trump no se anduvo con rodeos. Llamó a de la Espriella 'El Tigre', lo describió como 'inteligente, fuerte y firme', y dejó claro que el resultado de esta elección tendría consecuencias directas para la relación entre Colombia y Estados Unidos. Era la misma lógica que ya había aplicado en Argentina y Honduras: un presidente estadounidense tomando partido abiertamente en el proceso democrático de otro país.
La afinidad era ideológica y personal. De la Espriella había expresado abiertamente su admiración por Trump, por Nayib Bukele y por Álvaro Uribe, el expresidente colombiano que encarna la derecha dura del país. Sus propuestas —crecimiento económico, control migratorio, lucha contra el crimen y el narcotráfico— eran los mismos ejes del discurso trumpista trasplantados al suelo colombiano.
El candidato respondió en pocas horas, declarándose 'muy honrado' por el apoyo y prometiendo una asociación entre los dos países sin precedentes. Ya antes del anuncio de Trump, la coalición a su alrededor se había comenzado a formar: Paloma Valencia, tercera en la primera vuelta, y el propio Uribe habían sumado sus respaldos. Con la segunda vuelta programada para el 21 de junio, de la Espriella llegaba al tramo final con el viento a favor —y con la voz más poderosa del hemisferio occidental amplificando su mensaje.
Donald Trump woke up Tuesday morning and decided to weigh in on Colombia's presidential race. On his Truth Social account, the American president offered his "complete and total" backing to Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right candidate who had just stunned the political establishment two days earlier by finishing first in Sunday's opening round of voting. De la Espriella, a lawyer and businessman running as an outsider, had captured 43.74 percent of the vote—more than 10 million Colombians casting ballots for him—edging out Iván Cepeda, the establishment favorite who had been expected to win outright. The margin was nearly three percentage points, a decisive gap that sent shockwaves through Bogotá's political circles.
Trump's endorsement came swiftly and without equivocation. He called de la Espriella "The Tiger," praised him as "intelligent, strong and firm," and framed the Colombian election as pivotal to the bilateral relationship. "The results of this election are very important for the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States," Trump wrote. He was not being subtle. This was not a polite nod to a friendly candidate. This was an American president explicitly backing one side in another nation's democratic process, something he has done before in Argentina and Honduras, and something he was now doing again in a country that has long been central to U.S. foreign policy in Latin America.
What Trump saw in de la Espriella aligned neatly with his own political brand. The Colombian candidate, he suggested, would deliver "tremendous success" by growing the economy, creating jobs, promoting trade, stopping illegal immigration, fighting crime and drugs, and restoring law and order. These were Trump's talking points transplanted onto Colombian soil. De la Espriella had made no secret of his admiration for Trump, for El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, and for Álvaro Uribe, Colombia's former president who represents the hard-right wing of Colombian politics. The alignment was ideological and personal.
De la Espriella responded within hours, posting on X that he was "very honored" to receive Trump's support and his government's backing. He spoke of creating a partnership between the two nations unlike anything Colombia had experienced before. He also emphasized that the United States would be "decisive" in Colombia's fight against crime and narcoterrorism—a signal that he understood what Trump cared about and was prepared to deliver on it. The candidate was not shy about accepting the endorsement or about what it meant.
The political landscape had already begun to consolidate around de la Espriella even before Trump's announcement. Paloma Valencia, a center-right candidate who finished third with nearly 7 percent of the vote, had quickly thrown her support behind him. So had Álvaro Uribe, the elder statesman of Colombian conservatism. De la Espriella was building a coalition, and now he had the most powerful voice in the Western Hemisphere amplifying his message. The runoff was scheduled for June 21, just over two weeks away. Trump's endorsement would echo through that campaign in ways that were impossible to predict but certain to matter.
Citações Notáveis
The results of this election are very important for the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States— Donald Trump
I am very honored to receive the decided support of President Donald Trump and his government, and I know that in the era of the Tiger, we will forge a partnership like Colombia has never had with the United States— Abelardo de la Espriella
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Trump's endorsement of a Colombian candidate matter so much? Isn't that just noise?
Because Colombia is not a small player. It's the gateway to South America for U.S. policy on drugs, migration, and trade. When an American president explicitly backs a candidate, it signals where the next administration's priorities will be—and it can shift how voters think about a candidate's viability.
But de la Espriella was already winning. He had the most votes. Why did he need Trump?
He was winning the first round, but the runoff is different. A second vote can surprise you. Trump's endorsement does two things: it legitimizes him internationally and it tells Colombian voters that this candidate has the ear of the next American president. That's currency.
What does de la Espriella actually stand for beyond admiring Trump and Bukele?
The source doesn't give us his full platform, but his messaging is clear—he's running on law and order, fighting narcoterrorism, controlling immigration. He's the outsider businessman type, which resonates in a moment when people are frustrated with the establishment.
Is there any daylight between what Trump wants and what de la Espriella wants?
Not that we can see yet. They're aligned on the issues Trump cares about most in the region. Whether that alignment holds once de la Espriella is actually in office—that's a different question.
What happens if de la Espriella loses the runoff?
Then Trump has backed a loser, which damages his credibility in the region. But more importantly, it means Colombia's next president will be someone Trump didn't choose, which could reshape U.S.-Colombia relations in ways that are harder to predict.