As I've been reporting, Colombia had presidential elections last month, and on Sunday, there was a run-off between the Donald Trump-like right-winger, Abelardo de la Espriella (aka El Tigre), and current president Gustavo Petro's hand-picked socialist successor, Iván Cepeda.
Well, we can say that another country in Latin America has taken a swing to the right because El Tigre won narrowly, though I'm willing to bet Petro and his folks were up to some funny business. I just don't buy that nearly half the country voted for the commie... or, at least, half of the 63.6% of people who showed up to the polls in Colombia and beyond.
For what it's worth, Colombian expats who live in North America and Europe overwhelmingly voted for de la Espriella. I'm seeing Colombian journalists on social media proclaiming that they are ready to return to their country.
Related: All Eyes Are on the Election the World Can't Ignore
According to my sources, El Tigre got about 49.66% of the vote, while Cepeda got about 48.70%. Petro is already throwing a fit on social media, demanding a recount, but the momentum is in full swing. President-elect de la Espriella posted "Thank you, Colombia" on social media, and the mood where he is watching the polls is pretty celebratory.
¡Gracias Colombia! 🫡
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) June 21, 2026
(A.D.L.E) 🇨🇴🐅 pic.twitter.com/KTzXtJ9i5M
The mood across Colombia is celebratory too. I've seen it online, and I'm hearing it from my guy on the ground, Matt, a U.S. veteran who now lives there, who has been an invaluable source to me lately. He said he's hearing cars honking and fireworks going off where he lives.
🇨🇴 ¡COLOMBIA ESTALLA DE EMOCIÓN!
— Jhonf Fonseca (@Jhonffonseca) June 21, 2026
La fuerza del pueblo se siente en cada rincón del país. ¡La locura es total!
¡ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA, PRESIDENTE DE COLOMBIA! pic.twitter.com/pluISkyPv6
What I think is important to note is that major players in the region are already congratulating El Tigre on the win, including our own Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Argentine President Javier Milei. These guys, especially Rubio, don't usually send out their congratulations so quickly after votes are counted, but I suspect this is an effort to keep the momentum rolling — and to remind them that the eyes of the world are upon them — before Petro and his leftist, criminal cronies can do something to screw things up. Petro's already denying the results and calling for recounts and more scrutiny without much credible evidence that it's needed.
Rubio actually called President-Elect de la Espriella personally to congratulate him and said that Colombia's best days are ahead.
Just spoke to Colombian President-Elect @ABDELAESPRIELLA to congratulate him on his electoral victory.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 22, 2026
The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United…
"Today the majority of Colombians chose the path of economic freedom, prosperity, unwavering security, and telling organized transnational crime and drug trafficking ENOUGH ALREADY," Milei wrote on his X account. "Freedom advances across all of Latin America and there is no turning back."
EL LEÓN Y EL TIGRE RUGEN EN LATINOAMÉRICA...!!!
— Javier Milei (@JMilei) June 21, 2026
Felicito enormemente a @ABDELAESPRIELLA por su histórica victoria en Colombia.
Hoy la mayoría de los colombianos eligieron el camino de la libertad económica, la prosperidad, la seguridad implacable y decirle BASTA al crimen…
Several Republican members of Congress have also sent out their congratulations, including Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who is Colombian and who was actually in the country for the election process as an international observer.
I just spoke to @ABDELAESPRIELLA and congratulated him on an historic victory to become the next president of Colombia! The people of Colombia have spoken and the institutions charged with conducting this election did it impeccably and in a world class fashion. In fact, we have a…
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) June 21, 2026
Petro was Colombia's first left-wing president in modern history, and his presidency was a disaster. He acted like a clown, spending more time on social media, talking about everything from the erotic poetry he writes to how Donald Trump is an imperialist, rather than actually running the country. A former guerrilla, his solution for organized crime and drug trafficking was something like hugs and unicorns and ice cream cones, but the country became more violent, and drug trafficking out of there is at an all-time high. He also appears to be high on his country's biggest export most of the time, if you know what I mean. (I can't confirm or deny. Just observing.)
Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, has been cracking down on the cartels and organized criminal groups that operate at the border the two countries share. The U.S. and Venezuela, as led by the Trump administration, are cracking down on crime on that side of Colombia. Having a cooperative leader who promises Nayib Bukele-like treatment of Colombia's criminal organizations in power will be a game-changer for the entire Western Hemisphere when it comes to drugs, mass migration, and crime.
Now we just need to flip Brazil, which has elections in October, and get its little dictator, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, out of there. Right now, it's entirely possible that will happen. I'll keep you posted.
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