Colombians went to the polls for their presidential run-off election yesterday.
Fourteen hours or so ago, the Washington Post had a worm on its tongue and was waiting with baited*, horrified breath for what looked to be one of the remaining Leftist South American dominoes to fall to, as they love to call it, 'the Trump-back hard-right-wing.'
[CUE: terrified woman's cream...or soyboy's]
You know - the law and order guys who are tired of cartels and communists
A pro-Trump wave has swept Latin America. Colombia appears to be next.
Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right firebrand, won at least 49.6 percent of the vote, according to an initial count, beating leftist Iván Cepeda by less than a percentage point.
In one Latin American election after another, President Donald Trump has gotten exactly what he wanted.
Right-wing, pro-Trump candidates have defeated leftists across the region, as the Trump administration has pursued the most aggressive U.S. intervention in Central and South America in decades.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a Cepeda ally, has not recognized a winner, and said a formal ballot review process would determine the final results.
If the results hold, de la Espriella could be an ideal partner in Trump’s lethal war against alleged drug traffickers on land and at sea. An ostentatious criminal defense lawyer who has never held public office, de la Espriella, 47, calls himself “the tiger.”
He has vowed to build megaprisons for drug traffickers, to bomb “narco-terrorist camps” and abandon Petro’s efforts to broker peace with Colombia’s long-standing guerrillas.
The idea of actually campaigning on imprisoning gang members and drug cartel operatives has the WaPo so frazzled they had to invoke the name of one of their favorite boegymen, Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, to show just how bad this could be for the current narco-state of Colombia.
DON'T BE EL SALVADOR!
In what must have been a disappointment for the WaPo article's author, many Colombians expressed a distinct desire to experience a life under something other than Iván Cepeda, the handpicked heir to a Gustavo Petro administration. Negotiating and coddling terrorists hasn't worked out for anyone but the criminals and Petro officials.
...Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis in Bogotá, said the high levels of support for de la Espriella are a rejection of Petro’s government and reflect diminishing trust in the 2016 peace accords.
“You can’t go to a store to buy groceries if you know you’ll be robbed of half of it, or if you go to another town and they detain or kidnap you,” said Eduardo Torres, 48, a retired military sergeant who gathered with de la Espriella supporters in a central Bogotá plaza on a recent Sunday afternoon. “Without safety, you’ve got nothing, and only our military and police can offer that security.”
With de la Espriella as president, the handling of Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict could change dramatically, said Tiziano Breda, a senior analyst for the global conflict monitor ACLED.
Rather than focus on negotiation, as Petro has done, Espriella appears to favor a more “muscular response” to illegal armed groups, Breda said, which may open the door to potential abuses of power.
“The discourse is really to mimic what the U.S. is doing in the Caribbean,” Breda said, referring to the U.S. strikes against alleged drug boats that have killed more than 200 people. “In essence, shoot first and investigate after.”
Democracy Now was even more upset.
Right-wing Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella has clinched a narrow victory in Sunday’s runoff presidential election in Colombia, defeating leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of current President Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella ran a fearmongering, “tough-on-crime” campaign, promising to build mega-prisons inspired by El Salvador’s authoritarian President Nayib Bukele, to bomb “narcoterrorist camps” and to abandon Petro’s peace efforts. His reported victory is also a win for U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration is waging an intensifying “war on drugs” across Latin America, targeting left-wing leaders like Petro with false allegations and threats of military intervention.
“De la Espriella clearly represents a criminal approach to politics: lying, propaganda, coordination and collusion with criminal narcotrafficking, restriction of rights, and money laundering,” says longtime Colombian activist Manuel Rozental. With his victory, says Rozental, “We expect to have military operations and a U.S. intervention within the country. We expect to have human rights abuses. We expect to have militarization. And it’s all for the extraction of resources and the link of drug trafficking to the U.S. government, U.S. interests and global mafia.”
Petro's 'peace efforts.' What a hoot.
To its credit, however much they are squawking about the results, Colombia, a failing narco-state, had 99% of its ballots counted in two hours.
The California election criminals are still “counting” https://t.co/HUT0NZ0pkg
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) June 22, 2026
The count is close, but De la Espriella has it.
Let's just make a quick point about Colombia's election processes, vice, oh, say, California's for a minute...
Colombia just exposed the entire American election grift:
— John LeFevre (@JohnLeFevre) June 22, 2026
1. Marxist leftist regimes can't win clean elections without foreign cash pipelines like USAID.
2. A narco state counted ~25 million votes in under 2 hours - paper ballots, in-person voting, ID required, and public…
...and public hand-counting. Cleaner, faster, and more transparent than California, which is still “finding” mail-in ballots weeks later.
3. Democrats don’t have a “voter suppression” problem. They have a competence and integrity problem.
...before we get to the requisite 'The Jews STOLE IT' Xweet from the losing Communistista.
Petro, in asserting that Israel is conniving to rig the elections in Colombia (why would Israel pick Colombia?), unwittingly makes the strongest argument in favor of a Jewish state. For thousands of years, every time something has gone wrong, people have come up with crazy… pic.twitter.com/8GNrSeik6v
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) June 22, 2026
...For thousands of years, every time something has gone wrong, people have come up with crazy conspiracy theories of how the Jews did it. No other minority comes close. And when the supposed Jewish culprits live in a non-Jewish country, they become an all-too-easy target. After the Holocaust, the world recognized the need to give Jews the ability to protect themselves by giving them their own nation-state. Unfortunately, it hasn’t taken the world long to forget this lesson. And the Jews are the easy targets again.
A triumphant De La Espriella was out among his supporters last night in a version of the bulletproof Pope mobile.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 22, 2026
Colombian President-Elect @ABDELAESPRIELLA and his vice-president @jrestrp are out celebrating on the streets of Barranquilla tonight after winning.
Due to the assassination risk from communist terrorists, they can’t shake hands with supporters pic.twitter.com/30cczpJMsU
A prudent move, considering how his popular presidential campaign predecessor, Miguel Uribe, had been gunned down at a campaign stop by a 15-year-old only a year ago in what many saw as a hit directed by Petro and his insiders. It took Uribe two months to die.
It made for a poignant post when Uribe's parents went to cast their votes for De la Espriella.
Hoy voté con Delia mi esposa, quien me ha dado la fuerza para seguir adelante después de la pérdida de mi hijo Miguel.
— Miguel Uribe (@migueluribel) June 21, 2026
Nuestro voto fue por él, representado en @ABDELAESPRIELLA y @jrestrp.
Por ese hijo que entregó su vida al servicio de Colombia, que creyó en un país con… pic.twitter.com/7o0vBWNzkk
...Today I voted with Delia, my wife, who has given me the strength to keep going after the loss of my son Miguel.
Our vote was for him, represented in @ABDELAESPRIELLA and @jrestrp.
For that son who gave his life in service to Colombia, who believed in a country with opportunities, security, and hope.
The best way to keep his legacy alive is to not give up, remain united, and continue working for the Colombia he dreamed of for Colombians.🇨🇴
And De la Espriella had not forgotten his friend and martyred mentor as the final voting day neared.
No será en vano, Miguel.
— De La Espriella Presidente (@AbelardoPTE) June 21, 2026
Mañana ganas tú también.
🫡 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/ZPkLP5WzGQ
...It won't be in vain, Miguel.
Tomorrow you win too.
When the victory was announced, the streets erupted in joy.
The streets of Bogotà, Colombia have just erupted in celebration due to the victory of @ABDELAESPRIELLA!
— Maila Maria Rosa (@MailaMariaRosa) June 21, 2026
Petro is actively trying to say the election results are invalid but no one out here cares… they are taking their country back from him and the rest of the socialists who… pic.twitter.com/0i6XxKznKw
...they are taking their country back from him and the rest of the socialists who have held it back for so many years!
¡VIVA COLOMBIA, VIVA LA LIBERTAD CARAJO!
Recently elected right-wing presidents in the South and Latin America offered their congratulations...
Felicito a @ABDELAESPRIELLA por su elección como nuevo presidente de Colombia. Hace unas semanas me brindó su respaldo en un momento decisivo para el Perú. Hoy le deseo el mayor de los éxitos en esta nueva etapa, convencida de que la defensa de la democracia, la libertad y el… pic.twitter.com/KPvrZhoiJm
— Keiko Fujimori (@KeikoFujimori) June 22, 2026
...I congratulate @ABDELAESPRIELLA on his election as the new president of Colombia. A few weeks ago, he offered me his support at a decisive moment for Peru. Today, I wish him the greatest success in this new stage, convinced that the defense of democracy, freedom, and order requires leaders with conviction and courage.
Without a doubt, new winds are blowing for Latin America. A fraternal embrace to all the Colombian people.
...and United States officials were warm in their own felicitations to the incoming president.
Great move to congratulate the new president early because Petro is attempting to overturn it. We need to let the world know that the Trump administration will not recognize a bunch of leftist cheaters.
— First Words (@unscriptedmike) 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 States, and strengthen our economic ties.
Colombia's best days are ahead.
What is a pretty funny and intriguing development of all the hard right-wing winning in the area?
How the math for one particular aspect that changed with our foreign diplomacy adds up.
Realizing that 7 "far-right" candidates have won in Latin America since USAID was defunded pic.twitter.com/NL308nW6cS
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) June 22, 2026
Did Elon Musk and Marco Rubio do this as they are being accused of 'interference' in any event?
Gotta wonder how much different the world would be if we discovered that ending USAID was the key to tearing down the Left's machine decades ago.
— Fly Unfriendly Skies (@scottrkrol) June 9, 2026
Or rather, and the far better answer, did they allow these elections to finally be decided organically by cutting off the money?
In 2022, USAID sent $34 million to Colombia under its “Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance” program—the bucket it used to funnel cash to left-wing NGOs that rig elections.
— Bad Hombre (@Badhombre) June 21, 2026
A communist “won.”
This time, the communists didn’t have American taxpayer dollars to help them.… pic.twitter.com/RJ0vISvVIm
Seven countries, just that fast, once the dollars stopped.
THE NUMBERS ARE CLEAR
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) June 22, 2026
Trump and Elon officially shut down USAID in July 2025 after the big foreign aid freeze.
Since then, right-wing leaders have swept to victory across the region, at least 7 major wins in quick succession:
• Chile: José Antonio Kast (hard-right, biggest… pic.twitter.com/WNkjARQoZg
• Chile: José Antonio Kast (hard-right, biggest rightward shift in decades)
• Bolivia: Rodrigo Paz (ended decades of socialist MAS rule)
• Ecuador: Daniel Noboa (re-elected on law-and-order)
• Colombia: Abelardo de la Espriella (far-right surge into the runoff)
• Peru: Right-wing momentum building hard
• Honduras & Costa Rica: Conservative/right-populist takeovers
Coincidence? Or did cutting off billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars that were flowing to leftist NGOs, “democracy” programs, and activist networks finally let voters decide for themselves?
The pink tide is collapsing. People are choosing security over chaos, sovereignty over dependency, and results over ideology.
This is what happens when the money tap gets turned off and the people get to speak.
This doesn't include the changes in Central America.
The @SecRubio effect. Once he cut off the corrupt USAID slush funds, look what happened:
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) June 22, 2026
June 2023:
🔴Left wing: 10
🔵Right wing: 3
June 2026:
🔵Right wing: 7 (+4)
🔴Left wing: 6 (-4) pic.twitter.com/V7UBgjQexK
Wowsahs.
The President-Elect seems like a loving husband and father, much in the mold of several of the new presidents.
Mi amore Analu es una mujer maravillosa, con una fortaleza impresionante. Ella es mi luz, mi guía, la música cuando hay silencio y la calma en medio de la tormenta.
— DE LA ESPRIELLA STYLE (@DELAESPRIELLAE) June 21, 2026
Estoy agradecido de contar con su apoyo continuo y se que estaremos juntos hasta en el más allá.
Gracias nena,… pic.twitter.com/mB78wueVWX
...My love Analu is a wonderful woman, with impressive strength. She is my light, my guide, the music when there is silence and the calm in the midst of the storm.
I am grateful to have her continuous support and I know that we will be together even in the hereafter.
Thank you baby, you made this campaign, a movement even better, by giving your time and our time, for the country. 💕
AW, DANG
Best of luck getting going, and do stay safe above all else, President-Elect De La Espriella.
It won't be easy, but it will be so worth it, and you've got a friend in the US.
*As Bingley can tell you, our old man used to make a play on 'waiting with bated breath*' by telling us to 'put a worm on your tongue and wait with baited breath.'
~'To "wait with bated breath" means to hold your breath in eager, nervous, or anxious anticipation of what is going to happen next. It describes a state of intense suspense or excitement where you are eagerly awaiting an outcome'
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