Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia's president amid conservative wave in Latin America
Seven countries in the region have elected conservative leaders since 2023, many endorsed by or aligned with Donald Trump
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Colombia's President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella speaks during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, July 30, 2026. (AP Photo/John Vizcaino)
Photograph: Associated Press News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Abelardo de la Espriella will be sworn in as Colombia’s president on 8 August 2026, ending four years of progressive rule.
- Seven Latin American countries have elected conservative presidents since 2023, six of them since Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
- De la Espriella campaigned on cancelling peace talks with rebel groups and building mega-prisons, a model borrowed from El Salvador.
- No right-rated outlet in the sample below carried the story, though conservative leaders in Argentina, Peru and Chile are part of the trend.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 7 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
62/100
Craft
51/100
Hype
20/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Abelardo de la Espriella will take office as Colombia’s president on 8 August 2026, becoming the seventh conservative leader elected in Latin America since 2023. De la Espriella, a lawyer and businessman nicknamed “The Tiger”, won Colombia’s June election by a narrow margin over progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda. His victory follows four years of rule by a former rebel group member, who had criticised the Trump administration’s immigration and anti-drug policies.
De la Espriella’s campaign centred on a tough-on-crime platform. He pledged to cancel peace talks with Colombian rebel groups and build mega-prisons modelled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility. He also promised to tackle extortion and drug trafficking. His candidacy was endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who described him as the candidate who could restore law and order in Colombia.
The trend extends beyond Colombia. Since 2023, conservatives have won presidential elections in Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Chile and Costa Rica. The Associated Press and Washington Top News report that most of these victories occurred after Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, driven by voter concerns over crime, immigration and slow economic growth. In Peru, Keiko Fujimori took office in July 2026 after a runoff victory by fewer than 50,000 votes. In Argentina, Javier Milei’s austerity measures have reduced inflation from 211% in 2023 to 32% in 2025, though critics blame his policies for declining living standards.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet in the sample below carried the story. The digests and full reports from the left and centre did not include any statement from de la Espriella or his administration about the specific policies he plans to implement after taking office. It is also unclear from the reports whether the seven conservative leaders have coordinated their approaches or met as a group since taking office.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 7 times, most recently on 8 Aug 2026, 03:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
3 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on the broader regional shift toward conservative leadership. The Associated Press, whose full article is printed below, framed the trend as a reaction to crime, immigration and economic stagnation, with a focus on the role of Trump’s endorsement in several campaigns. It noted that de la Espriella’s predecessor was a former rebel group member critical of Trump’s policies, setting up a sharp contrast with the incoming administration.
- The AP report also highlighted the social costs of conservative policies. It carried the criticism that Milei’s austerity measures in Argentina had lowered living standards for public sector workers, and it noted protests in Chile over unemployment and budget cuts under José Antonio Kast. The digests from The Toronto Star and NiagaraFallsReview.ca, both left-rated, repeated the AP’s framing, leading with the regional conservative wave and de la Espriella’s inauguration as its latest example.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on the alignment between Latin American conservatives and Trump. Washington Top News, whose full article is printed below, led with the phrase “conservative Trump allies” in its headline and described de la Espriella as a “Trump-endorsed outsider”. It listed the seven countries that have elected conservative presidents since 2023, framing the trend as a response to crime and economic concerns, but it did not include the criticism of Milei’s austerity policies or the protests in Chile that the left-rated reports carried.
- The digests from Winnipeg Free Press and Newsday, both centre-rated, repeated the AP’s opening line about de la Espriella becoming the latest conservative to helm a Latin American country. Neither digest mentioned the social consequences of conservative policies, such as unemployment or declining living standards, which the left-rated reports included.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America (opens NiagaraFallsReview.ca in a new tab)
NiagaraFallsReview.ca — is NiagaraFallsReview.ca biased? Our profile of this outlet
- From ‘The Lion’ to ‘The Tiger’: Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
3- From ‘The Lion’ to ‘The Tiger’: Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
- From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America (opens Newsday in a new tab)
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
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