--- title: "Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia's president amid conservative wave in Latin America" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/abelardo-de-la-espriella-takes-office-as-colombias-president-amid-conservative-w" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/abelardo-de-la-espriella-takes-office-as-colombias-president-amid-conservative-w" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/abelardo-de-la-espriella-takes-office-as-colombias-president-amid-conservative-w.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/abelardo-de-la-espriella-takes-office-as-colombias-president-amid-conservative-w" category: "Politics" area: "Latin America" published: "2026-08-08T02:05:34.431Z" source_reported: "2026-08-07T19:21:07.000Z" updated: "2026-08-08T02:05:34.431Z" trust_score: 62 critic_score: 51 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-08T04:15:16.697370+00:00" --- # 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* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 62 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports from different outlets. - Craft 51 of 100, higher is better. Lacks diverse perspectives and quotes. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Measured language in headlines. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (3) - Centre: 50% (3) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-08T04:15:16.697370+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 11 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-08T04:45:22.804Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 2 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Independent Español](https://independentespanol.com/noticias/america-latina/de-el-leon-a-el-tigre-aliados-conservadores-de-trump-ganan-terreno-en-america-latina-b3029582.html) — From “The Lion” to “The Tiger”: Trump’s Conservative Allies Gain Ground in Latin America - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/world/2026/08/from-the-lion-to-the-tiger-conservative-trump-allies-gain-ground-in-latin-america-2) — From ‘The Lion’ to ‘The Tiger’: Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/08/07/from-the-lion-to-the-tiger-conservative-trump-allies-gain-ground-in-latin-america-3) — From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/americas/from-the-lion-to-the-tiger-conservative-trump-allies-gain-ground-in-latin-america/article_80f2d077-2a77-5f42-a649-5611ffa00dd3.html) — From ‘The Lion’ to ‘The Tiger’: Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America - [NiagaraFallsReview.ca](https://niagarafallsreview.ca/news/world/americas/from-the-lion-to-the-tiger-conservative-trump-allies-gain-ground-in-latin-america/article_cd0be9ad-d518-595c-a07c-08003e84205e.html) — From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America - [Newsday](https://newsday.com/news/nation/de-la-espriella-conservative-trump-latin-america-d76153) — From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/de-la-espriella-conservative-trump-latin-america-66989dafc1a8c28d93e1ea05235ce6b9) — From 'The Lion' to 'The Tiger': Conservative Trump allies gain ground in Latin America ## Questions **What are Abelardo de la Espriella’s main policies?** De la Espriella campaigned on cancelling peace talks with Colombian rebel groups and building mega-prisons modelled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility. He also promised to tackle extortion and drug trafficking. His policies align with a tough-on-crime approach endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. **How many Latin American countries have elected conservative presidents since 2023?** Seven countries in Latin America have elected conservative presidents since 2023: Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras, Chile and Costa Rica. Most of these elections occurred after Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, according to reports from the Associated Press and Washington Top News. **What impact have conservative policies had in Argentina?** Javier Milei’s austerity measures in Argentina have reduced inflation from 211% in 2023 to 32% in 2025. However, critics blame his policies for declining living standards among public sector workers, as reported by the Associated Press. The reports do not specify whether similar effects have been observed in other countries with conservative leaders. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/abelardo-de-la-espriella-takes-office-as-colombias-president-amid-conservative-w. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia's president amid conservative wave in Latin America", https://mediabias.news/politics/abelardo-de-la-espriella-takes-office-as-colombias-president-amid-conservative-w