Right-wing Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella on Wednesday thanked President Trump for his support after De La Espriella won the most votes in the initial round of elections.

De La Espriella’s message of thanks to the U.S. president included an AI-generated image of a bald eagle next to a tiger, with the eagle flanked by the American flag and the tiger backed by the Colombian flag. The tiger reflects De La Espriella’s nickname, “El Tigre.”

“In you, I see a leader of true strength and conviction—one who refuses to yield to passing ideological trends or the enemies of freedom,” he wrote on the social platform X. “You have paved the way for the people to defeat the entrenched powers that have long held sway. In Colombia, we have now begun to follow that same path.”

De La Espriella called the U.S. and Colombia “sister nations, bound by the blood of heroes and by our shared destiny to defend Western civilization across the Americas.” He later added that both countries stand together against “narcoterrorism” and “the communism that seeks to poison our republics.”

De La Espriella, a dual U.S.-Colombian citizen and registered Republican, said the “coming Era of the Tiger” will start on June 21, when the second round of voting will take place.

Trump congratulated the candidate, who he said would be “tremendously successful in leading Colombia to Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, Crack Down on Crime and Drugs, and Restore LAW AND ORDER!”

“Because of his tremendous accomplishments in life, and his political support for me, personally, it is my Honor to give Abelardo my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “‘EL TIGRE’ ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA WILL NOT LET THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF COLOMBIA DOWN!”

De La Espriella secured 43.7 percent of the vote, while the left-wing candidate and ally to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Sen. Iván Cepeda, won 40.9 percent, according to preliminary counts.

Petro blasted Trump for supporting De La Espriella, writing in a post translated from Spanish on X that when “a country interferes in the decisions of another country, freedom dies.”

“I invite all of Colombia to vote in full freedom and not become either slaves or a colony of anyone,” Petro added. “…If the heart of the world loses its freedom and sovereignty, the hope of the world and of Colombia fades away.”

Trump has previously shown support for other right-wing candidates across Latin America and Europe. He backed Honduras’ President Nasry “Tito” Asfura last year, has shown frequent support for Argentinian President Javier Milei and, during his first term, staunchly supported former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The Associated Press contributed.

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