Petro and Trump clash over Colombia election

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro is constitutionally barred from running for re-election in the 2026 race

Colombia’s presidential race has erupted into an international political showdown after President Gustavo Petro accused US President Donald Trump of backing forces linked to the country’s violent past.

The extraordinary intervention comes ahead of a high-stakes runoff election that could reshape Colombia’s relationship with Washington and determine the future of the country’s fragile peace strategy.

Trump Throws Weight Behind the Right

The row was triggered after Trump publicly endorsed hard-line conservative candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who advanced to the second round of voting after defeating left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda in the first round.

Trump praised de la Espriella’s political support and hailed his record, giving the candidate a major boost ahead of the June 21 runoff. The endorsement immediately thrust the Colombian election into the centre of a wider ideological battle across the Americas.

Petro Fires Back

Petro responded with one of his sharpest attacks yet on the Trump administration, accusing Washington of aligning itself with political forces connected to Colombia’s paramilitary era.

The Colombian president argued that those claiming to fight drug trafficking were instead helping return figures linked to organised crime to positions of influence. He also accused the United States of breaking an understanding reached earlier this year not to interfere in Colombia’s electoral process.

A Contest Over Peace and Security

The election has exposed starkly different visions for Colombia’s future.

De la Espriella has pledged a tougher security approach, rejecting negotiations with armed groups and promising a more aggressive military campaign against guerrilla organisations. Cepeda, by contrast, supports expanding dialogue efforts and building on the peace framework established after the 2016 agreement with the FARC.

Violence Casts a Long Shadow

The political battle is unfolding against a backdrop of renewed insecurity across parts of Colombia.

Armed groups continue to compete for control of cocaine trafficking routes, illegal mining operations and extortion networks. With tensions rising and foreign powers openly taking sides, the runoff is increasingly being viewed as more than a domestic election.

For Petro, it is a fight over Colombia’s political direction. For Trump and his allies, it is another front in a broader struggle between the Latin American left and right.

Colombia's Petro blasts Trump for supporting far-right 'drug trafficker' in upcoming election