Trump backs Colombia candidate de la Espriella before June runoff
What's next: De la Espriella and Ivan Cepeda head to a June runoff after taking about 44% and under 41% in the first round.
U.S. President Donald Trump backed Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella on Tuesday, injecting the United States into Colombia's runoff campaign and drawing a rebuke from President Gustavo Petro. Trump wrote on social media that the election matters for Colombia's future and its ties with the United States. De la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer who has never held elected office, will face leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda in a June runoff after a close first round. De la Espriella won nearly 44% of the vote, while Cepeda took just under 41%. Petro criticized the endorsement as foreign interference. De la Espriella has campaigned with hard-line proposals on armed groups and has pledged to build 10 megaprisons.