Published on 6/22/2026
A political wave loyal to US President Donald Trump is sweeping Latin America, giving way to a major shift in the regional political landscape. Colombia became the latest stop in this wave, with the announcement of the victory of Trump-backed right-wing populist lawyer Abelardo de la Espriilla in the presidential elections.
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, Trump got exactly what he wanted in the successive elections in Latin American countries.
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Right-wing candidates loyal to Trump have defeated left-wing rivals across the region, with the current US administration pursuing the “most aggressive” intervention in Central and South America in decades.
It was reported in the two newspapers that Argentina, Honduras, Costa Rica, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador had right-wing governments loyal to or friendly to Trump, and now Colombia has just joined the right-wing ranks following the announcement of the results of the current presidential elections.
This direct political transformation is reflected in the counting results reported by writer Juan Forero in a report published by the Wall Street Journal. The report announced that de la Espriilla was elected President of Colombia by a very narrow margin after he received 12.9 million votes, with a percentage of 49.6% of the votes.
Populist from outside the establishment
Forero explained that de la Espriilla defeated his rival, leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, who received 48.7% of the votes.
More than 26 million Colombians participated in the elections, with a participation rate of 63% of registered voters in a country with a population of 53 million. The numerical difference between the two candidates was only 247,000 votes.
The writer said that De La Espriilla, 47 years old, who holds American citizenship and “flags off his wealth,” is considered a populist figure from outside the traditional political establishment.
De la Espriilla had not previously held any public office and made his career as a lawyer who defended paramilitary leaders and controversial figures.
De la Espriilla:
Our government will make outlaws and criminals live in terror. We defeated the regime, the political establishment, and the usual elites, and we won by all measures and against all odds.
Following Trump’s approach
The Washington Post reported that De La Espriilla’s political program is based on strict security measures against organized crime and cocaine smuggling gangs. This method is similar to the approach of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who imprisoned more than 85,000 people in his security campaign without fair trials for many of them, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper added that the president-elect pledged to build huge prisons and bomb the camps of what he describes as terrorists involved in the drug trade. He announced the abandonment of the entire peace plan and negotiation efforts initiated by the current leftist President Gustavo Petro with the armed militias with the aim of pushing them to lay down their arms.
“Our government will make outlaws and criminals live in terror,” The Washington Post quoted de la Espriilla as saying in a local radio and television interview. He added in the interview: “We defeated the regime, the political establishment, and the usual elites, and we won by all standards and against all odds.”
Public and strong support from Trump
The newspaper commented that De La Espriilla’s rise was prompted by strong public support from Trump, who described him as a smart, strong, and strict leader. Trump attacked rival Cepeda, describing him as a radical leftist Marxist, stressing that Colombia “will have the full power of America behind it if the tiger wins.”
She said that Trump’s allies, such as conservative political consultant Roger Jason, expressed their support for the populist revolution in Colombia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio quickly congratulated the new president on the X platform, stressing that better days are coming for Colombia under the new leadership.
Widespread criticism of American intervention
On the other hand, the Washington Post reports that American interference in the elections faced widespread criticism from 11 Democratic members of the US Congress. The representatives signed a letter in which they criticized the “blatant interference” of American officials to support a candidate with a disturbing record that conflicts with American interests and laws.
The parliamentary letter accused de la Espriilla of praising paramilitary leaders and collecting money that was allegedly intended to bribe key judicial authorities. President Petro had previously condemned the detention of a Colombian activist loyal to him in the United States, accusing de la Espriilla of contributing to his arrest.
Supporters of the new president defended his sharp Trumpian style and simple emotional speech, which he used to attract crowds and launch a brand that sells clothing and alcoholic drinks. This speech succeeded in distinguishing it from the traditional conservative party of former President Alvaro Uribe Velez.
The decline of the traditional right
Local political analysts believe that the decline in Uribe’s popularity and accusations of corruption prompted right-wing leaders to leave the traditional right and move towards supporting de la Espriilla. The support highlighted the state of popular frustration with the increase in cocaine production by 55% compared to 2000 and the doubling of the size of militias.
On the internal level – says the Washington Post – the election results were met with direct rejection by President Petro, who stressed that no candidate could be declared the winner before official scrutiny. Parties in his political movement warned that the country would explode in flames and protests would erupt in the streets if the right won.
The 63-year-old leftist candidate Cepeda refrained from admitting defeat, pending the completion of official audits and tally sheets. De la Espriilla, on the other hand, stressed the need to respect the popular vote, warning the opposition against the consequences of thinking about provoking internal violence.
Economic and political concerns
De la Espriilla’s arrival to power, according to the Wall Street Journal, raises economic and political concerns given that his party only has 4 senators and one representative in the Colombian Congress. This parliamentary weakness hampers his economic plan to reduce spending by 40%, close 9 ministries, and dismiss 700,000 employees.
Experts monitoring international conflicts warned that relying on military force instead of negotiation threatens to expand abuses of power and renew armed conflict. The new political discourse mimics US military operations in the Caribbean, which are based on the principle of shooting first and investigating later.
