Colombia-U.S. Diplomatic War Erupts Over Trump's Election Endorsement
The crisis was ignited by the outcome of Colombia's May 31 first-round vote, which upended polling expectations. De la Espriella — a Trump ally popularly known as "El Tigre" — defied forecasts to capture 43.74% of the vote, setting up a head-to-head clash with Iván Cepeda, standard-bearer of President Gustavo Petro's left-wing coalition, who secured 40.90%. The two will face off in the decisive runoff on June 21.
Trump took to social media to lavish praise on de la Espriella's "tremendous accomplishments," announcing his "Complete and Total Endorsement" while labelling Cepeda a "Radical Left Marxist." The Colombian candidate swiftly embraced what he called Trump's "decisive support," casting the U.S. alliance as indispensable to "liberate Colombia once and for all from narcoterrorism."
The endorsement, compounded by a State Department announcement that it intended to observe the election, drew an immediate and furious reaction from Bogotá.
"Any statement or action by foreign actors aimed at favoring or undermining candidates, parties, or political initiatives constitutes an unacceptable interference," Colombia's Foreign Ministry warned in an official statement.
President Petro, speaking from the Caribbean department of Córdoba, went further — accusing Trump of violating an explicit bilateral neutrality agreement and taking direct aim at Secretary of State Marco Rubio, questioning Washington's credibility as an anti-narcotics partner while it embraces a populist figure with what he characterized as dubious ties.
Petro — who was placed on the U.S. Treasury's OFAC sanctions list last October — made clear he has no intention of yielding to American pressure.
"They can put me on the OFAC list 10,000 times, and if they want to throw me in jail, let them try—but I won't back down," he said.
The Colombian president also turned his fire on domestic opposition figures, accusing them of adopting a subservient stance toward Washington — a posture he linked directly to the mistreatment of Colombian migrants in the United States.
"We Latin Americans are not here to be treated like dogs," Petro said. "I don't understand those Colombians who vote for those who kneel in Miami."
The diplomatic firestorm escalates as Petro prepares to travel to New York, where he is set to preside over activities tied to Colombia's rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
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