Trump backs conservative De la Espriella against 'Radical Left Marxist' Cepeda in Colombia's runoff: 'Very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship to the United States'

President Donald Trump on Monday gave his "Complete and Total Endorsement" to Colombian conservative candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, winner of the first presidential round held on May 31, and urged the electorate to support him in the second round on June 21, in which he will face the ruling party's senator Iván Cepeda, whom he described as a "Radical Left Marxist."

In a lengthy message posted on social media, Trump congratulated "el Tigre" De la Espriella, a nickname that became popular in the current election campaign, for what he described as a "decisive victory". The U.S. leader also presented the conservative candidate as "a Smart, Strong, and Tough Leader" and assured that the criminal lawyer-turned political outsider, "fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America."

The president stressed that the outcome of the Colombian runoff will have direct consequences on relations between Washington and Bogota.

"The results of this Election are very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship to the United States," said Trump, who has become accustomed to backing conservative candidates in Latin American elections.

Trump also listed areas in which, in his view, De la Espriella could have "tremendous" success as president: growing the economy, creating jobs, promoting trade, curbing illegal immigration, fighting crime and drugs and "Restore LAW AND ORDER!" The message fits with the program that the Colombian candidate himself has been advocating, openly inspired by the models of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and Javier Milei in Argentina, and which includes the construction of maximum-security mega-prisons, a drastic reduction of the state, and a renewed alliance with the United States.

The president justified his endorsement by citing the political support De la Espriella has provided him over the years. "Because of his tremendous accomplishments in life, and his political support for me, personally, it is my Honor to give Abelardo my Complete and Total Endorsement," the president wrote and concluded: "'EL TIGRE' ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA WILL NOT LET THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF COLOMBIA DOWN!"

De La Espriella's endorsement comes at a favorable time for the conservative. An AtlasIntel poll for Revista Semana published on June 2 -the firm that came closest to the first round result- situates De la Espriella with 50.3% of the voting intention for the runoff, compared to 42.6% for Cepeda. Only 7.1% of those consulted are inclined to vote blank, null, or not yet decided.

The clash between them outlines a second round of maximum polarization and danger of violence in the South American country. Cepeda, candidate of the Historic Pact, the coalition of the outgoing president Gustavo Petro, is a senator with a long history of closeness to guerrilla sectors and open defense of Nicolás Maduro's regime and Castroism, whom his critics describe as even further to the left than the current Colombian president, also a former guerrilla. Against him, De la Espriella embodies the best of the Colombian right-wing hard vote for importing a Bukele-Milei-Trump model. On June 21, Colombia's future will be defined.