US President Donald Trump endorsed far-right presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella ahead of the second round of Colombia’s election.
In a post on his Truth Social website, Trump congratulated De la Espriella for his victory in the first round, which surprisingly made the lawyer the frontrunner in the race.
According to the US president, De la Espriella is “a Smart, Strong, and Tough Leader.”
Trump dismissed the leftist candidate, Senator Ivan Cepeda, as a “Radical Left Marxist.”
In a response, De la Espriella expressed his gratitude and praised Trump as a leader “who refuses to yield to passing ideological trends or the enemies of freedom.”
The far-right candidate said that he and Trump “respect each other and share the same unshakable values and principles.”
We stand together in the sacred defense of private property, free enterprise, productive growth, and the well-being of our citizens as the highest purpose of government. We defend liberty, we present a united front against the communism that seeks to poison our republics, and we will join the Alliance of the Shield of the Americas so that the light of freedom never dims in this hemisphere.
Abelardo de la Espriella
De la Espriella’s critics rejected Trump’s meddling in the election.
Defeated centrist candidate Claudia Lopez stressed that “the defender of the mafia is also a puppet of Trumpism.”
Former Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo, a supporter of the defeated leftist candidate Sergio Fajardo, called Trump’s endorsement “totally unacceptable.”
This constitutes an improper interference in the internal affairs of the Colombian people and an outright violation of Colombia’s national sovereignty, the most precious asset of any nation.
Jorge Enrique Robledo
The national government and the Cepeda campaign did not immediately respond to Trump’s interference.
Ahead of the first round, the far-right maintained contact with Trump’s deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
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