"U.S. Asset": Colombia's Bukele Takes Power

Jul 01, 2026

Colombia just elected a Trump-admiring right-wing outsider, a shift that's bad for the Colombian left and a likely win for US business interests.

  • Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly won Colombia's closest-ever presidential election, beating the candidate backed by outgoing leftist president Gustavo Petro.
  • The new president is a former lawyer for drug traffickers and paramilitaries, a registered US Republican who voted for Trump and hasn't lived in Colombia for a decade.
  • He plans to privatize state companies and fire a big share of government workers, blending styles from Trump, El Salvador's Bukele, and Argentina's Milei.
  • Petro raised wages and passed labor reforms, but gutted the state oil company and let gas and energy prices soar, which hurt ordinary people and cost the left support.
  • Mexico's left stayed popular by keeping energy affordable and cracking down hard on crime — the opposite of Petro's approach.

Outlook: The new government's plan to privatize and slash jobs is expected to spark mass protests within months, following the pattern of other right-wing governments in the region.

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