De la Espriella pledges closer US ties following Trump endorsement

Colombian presidential frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella has pledged to deepen diplomatic and economic ties with the United States following an endorsement from US President Donald Trump. The hard-right candidate, who leads in the polls ahead of the June 21 run-off election against leftist senator Ivan Cepeda, stated that relations with Washington would be "like never before" if he secures victory. The endorsement significantly bolsters De la Espriella’s position, particularly after conservative candidate Paloma Valencia threw her support behind him in the wake of the first-round results.

De la Espriella emerged as the surprise winner of the first round on Sunday, capturing more than 43 per cent of the vote compared to Cepeda’s 41 per cent. Campaigning on a tough-on-crime platform amidst a surge in drug-related guerrilla violence, the millionaire lawyer has positioned himself as a law-and-order outsider. Trump described the election outcome as "very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship to the United States" in a "Complete and Total Endorsement" posted on his Truth Social platform, citing De la Espriella’s "tremendous accomplishments in life" and his personal political support.

The intervention has drawn sharp criticism from outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who highlighted the tension between foreign influence and national sovereignty. Trump, who had a combustible relationship with Petro during his first year back in the White House, had previously derided the outgoing president as a "drug leader" and imposed sanctions on him. Responding to the US president’s comments, Petro wrote that "freedom dies" when one country intervenes in the decisions of another, inviting all Colombians to vote in "complete freedom."

While De la Espriella consolidates his lead, Cepeda has pledged to continue Petro’s legacy of pursuing dialogue with armed groups, including drug traffickers, and addressing inequality. The run-off election represents a critical juncture for one of Washington’s closest South American allies, with De la Espriella’s victory likely to shift the country’s geopolitical alignment significantly closer to the United States.

Concurrently, De la Espriella faces legal scrutiny in Bogota, where a judge has ordered him to apologise within 48 hours for sexist conduct during a radio interview. The ruling noted that the candidate showed a reporter an intimate photo in a manner suggesting "explicit sexual innuendo." The reporter stated on X that the behaviour demonstrated a "complete lack of respect," while De la Espriella defended the incident as "humour" in a subsequent reply.