Trump endorses 'El Tigre' in Colombia runoff

President Donald Trump has issued his most emphatic public endorsement yet of Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and businessman known as 'El Tigre,' ahead of the June 21 runoff election. Writing on Truth Social on June 17, Trump called de la Espriella a 'smart, strong, and tough leader' and urged Colombians to vote for him, emphasizing the importance of the election for Colombia's security, economic growth, job creation, trade, and the fight against drug trafficking. The endorsement positions the Colombia runoff as a test of Latin America's rightward political shift and signals the Trump administration's preference for maintaining close ties between Bogotá and Washington.