Laura Gamba Fadul
06 June 2026•Update: 06 June 2026
The Colombian government has rejected external interference in its upcoming presidential runoff, sparking a diplomatic clash with Washington after US President Donald Trump officially endorsed candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.
The row erupted following a high-stakes first round on May 31, where de la Espriella, an ally of Trump known by his moniker "El Tigre," shattered poll predictions to clinch 43.74% of the votes. He will face Ivan Cepeda, the candidate for President Gustavo Petro’s left-wing coalition, who secured 40.90% of the votes, in a decisive June 21 runoff.
Taking to social media, Trump praised de la Espriella's "tremendous accomplishments" and extended his "Complete and Total Endorsement," while branding Cepeda a "Radical Left Marxist." De la Espriella quickly welcomed the "decisive support," framing the US alliance as fundamental to "liberate Colombia once and for all from narcoterrorism."
The endorsement, paired with the State Department's announcement that it would monitor the election, triggered a furious response from Bogota.
"Any statement or action by foreign actors aimed at favoring or undermining candidates, parties, or political initiatives constitutes an unacceptable interference,” the Foreign Ministry warned in a statement.
Speaking from the Caribbean department of Cordoba, a defiant President Petro accused Trump of breaking a explicit bilateral agreement to remain neutral. Petro also aimed his fire at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, questioning Washington's commitment to countering narcotics if it chooses to embrace a populist with questionable ties.
Petro, who was placed on the US Treasury’s OFAC sanctions list last October, openly dared Washington to escalate its punitive measures.
"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 lambasted local opposition factions for adopting a subordinate posture toward Washington, linking it to the poor treatment of Colombian migrants in the US.
"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 escalating rhetoric comes just as Petro is scheduled to fly to New York to oversee activities related to Colombia’s temporary presidency of the UN Security Council.
