BREAKING: Trump-Endorsed Right-Wing Colombian Presidential Candidate Stuns In Major UPSET Win!

Colombia may be about to swing hard to the right, and President Trump called it early.

Abelardo de la Espriella, the conservative lawyer and political outsider who ran on crushing the cartels, led leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda in Sunday’s presidential runoff as preliminary results came in.

De la Espriella campaigns under the nickname “El Tigre,” and his supporters were already in the streets.

President Trump endorsed him before the vote, and the early numbers suggest that endorsement landed.

🚨 BREAKING: Trump-endorsed right-wing Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella STUNS THE WORLD and WINS the presidential election

He plans to go FULL BUKELE MODE, locking up criminals en masse, destroying the cartels and cooperate with President Trump… pic.twitter.com/FwrAGyHnsc

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 21, 2026

AP reported de la Espriella ahead of Cepeda by 49.7 percent to 48.7 percent with 99.9 percent of results released by electoral authorities. That is a razor-thin margin, but it is also a one-point lead with nearly the entire count reported.

AP noted election officials had not yet formally announced a winner when it filed its report. That caveat matters: the preliminary result is not the same thing as final certification.

The same report described de la Espriella as a business owner and lawyer who earned President Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office. Cepeda, by contrast, is a progressive lawmaker and ally of current President Gustavo Petro.

AP also pointed to the larger stakes: Colombia has been wrestling with fears of renewed internal conflict, drug trafficking, and failed peace efforts with armed groups. That is the backdrop for why a hardline outsider could break through.

The margin is narrow, but it was enough to set off celebrations and a wave of reports that de la Espriella appeared headed for the presidency.

ABC News reported de la Espriella appeared to be Colombia’s next president based on preliminary runoff results, showing him at 49.7 percent with 99 percent of votes counted nationwide. ABC framed the result as a possible defeat of Cepeda, a long-time left-wing politician.

ABC also noted that de la Espriella is a conservative lawyer and dual citizen of the United States and Colombia. That makes President Trump’s endorsement even more politically explosive.

His platform was blunt. ABC reported he promised to build 10 mega-prisons in Colombia, inspired by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s security policies, as the country faces rising violence.

ABC reported Petro cast doubt on the results on social media, citing alleged irregularities. That means the post-election fight may not be over, even if the preliminary count has de la Espriella in front.

🚨 NOW: MASS CELEBRATIONS erupt across Colombia after they elect a right-wing president supported by President Trump

What an INCREDIBLE DAY for the people of Colombia!

Is it ANY coincidence that the right-wing's rise coincides with the destruction of USAID and leftist funding… https://t.co/f9zFjZqHW2 pic.twitter.com/Wd5he1JjV9

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 22, 2026

PBS News reported President Trump gave de la Espriella his complete and total endorsement on Truth Social before the runoff. Trump called him a strong leader and said the election mattered to the future of the U.S.-Colombia relationship.

PBS also reported that de la Espriella publicly thanked Trump for the endorsement. He said he received the support with patriotic gratitude, and he leaned into the “El Tigre” brand heading into the vote.

The outlet framed the race as another test of the region’s shift toward the right. That is why this result is bigger than one Colombian runoff.

Trump has already shown he is willing to weigh in on foreign races where he sees a sharp right-left choice. This time, the candidate he backed appears to have surged past the sitting left-wing government’s ally.

Fox News laid out the contrast before voters went to the polls. De la Espriella ran as a law-and-order disruptor who promised to crush criminal organizations and restore state authority.

Fox News noted the Bukele comparison that has followed his campaign. Like Bukele, de la Espriella built a brand around toughness, disruption, and public frustration with crime.

Fox also contrasted him with Cepeda, who was running as an ally of Petro’s left-wing project. That is the choice voters were handed: more of Petro’s direction, or a hard turn toward cartel crackdowns and a Trump-backed security agenda.

For Colombia’s left, that is a brutal signal. For the right, it looks like another crack in the global progressive wall.

🚨 THE WORLD IS GOING RIGHT!

Thousands of fired up Colombians flooding the streets with flags waving high and fireworks lighting up the sky, celebrating the HUGE victory of Trump-endorsed warrior Abelardo De La Espriella!

Deep State is losing power. pic.twitter.com/9L7dWgf9kD

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) June 22, 2026

The official certification still has to land before anyone can treat this as procedurally complete.

But the political message is already obvious: Colombia’s voters were given a choice between Petro’s left-wing legacy and a Trump-endorsed anti-cartel hardliner, and the preliminary count put El Tigre in front.