Key facts
- Right-wing Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his support.
- De La Espriella won the most votes in the initial round of Colombian presidential elections.
- De La Espriella's message to Trump included an AI-generated image of a bald eagle and a tiger.
- Leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda is attempting to appeal to centrist voters by backing away from the possibility of a constituent assembly.
- Cepeda accused De La Espriella of seeking to dismantle social programs.
Right-wing Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella publicly thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his support on Wednesday. This expression of gratitude followed De La Espriella's success in securing the most votes during the initial round of the presidential elections. The candidate's message to President Trump also featured an AI-generated image depicting a bald eagle alongside a tiger. The article also notes that leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, who came second in the first round, is attempting to appeal to centrist voters by backing away from the possibility of a constituent assembly to create a new constitution. Cepeda accused De La Espriella of seeking to dismantle social programs, though De La Espriella has stated he will preserve a minimum wage increase and will not reduce subsidies. Cepeda, a 63-year-old lawmaker and son of a murdered communist leader, will need to appeal to centrist voters to beat his rival.