The President of the United States, (Republican Party), declared on Wednesday night (June 17, 2026) support for Abelardo de la Espriella (Defensores de la Patria, right) in the presidential elections in Colombia. According to the Republican, the candidate is “an intelligent, strong and determined leader, who fights tirelessly for his great country and its people”.
The 2nd round of the Colombian elections is scheduled for Sunday (June 21). Espriella poll ahead, with 50.9% of voting intentions. Ivan Cepeda (Historic Pact, left), candidate supported by , current president, has 43.1%.
“As president, Abelardo will be enormously successful in leading Colombia to economic growth, creating jobs, promoting trade, combating illegal immigration, cracking down on crime and drugs, and restoring law and order.”wrote Trump in Truth Social.
According to the North American president, Cepeda is “a radical left Marxist”. Trump declared that the election result is “crucial for the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States”.
The Colombian right began to reorganize itself after the 1st round, held on May 31st. Paloma Valencia (Democratic Center, right) declared support for Espriella after the data was released. Former president Álvaro Uribe (Democratic Center, right) also said he will vote for the candidate in the 2nd round.
Here are the profiles of the candidates competing in the 2nd round:
- Abelardo de la Espriella (Defensores de la Patria, right) – he is 47 years old, a lawyer. Without ever running for elected office before, he bases his speech on strong admiration for leaders such as Trump, (Nuevas Ideas, right), in El Salvador, and (La Libertad Avanza, right), in Argentina;
- Ivan Cepeda (Historic Pact, left) – he is 63 years old, a philosopher and supported by Petro. He is a senator and son of Manuel Cepeda Vargas, a senator murdered in 1994 “by state agents in complicity with paramilitaries”according to the candidate’s biography. Cepeda lived in exile from 1998 to 2004 because of threats for his work as a human rights defender. He was a federal deputy for Bogotá, the capital, and senator 3 times, until 2026.
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