Trump Endorses First-Round Winner de la Espriella in Colombian Runoff as Petro Accuses Him of Interference

Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro told CBS News correspondent Lilia Luciano that President Trump is interfering in Colombia's election by endorsing right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella. Petro stated "without a doubt" that the endorsement constitutes interference.

"Any interference by one country over another in order to determine the destiny of another is an attempt against freedom," Petro said.

Colombians will head to the polls in a runoff election in less than two weeks. 9 percent. President Trump gave de la Espriella his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in a social media post after the first round.

U.S. government is siding with narco-paramilitarism. S. of trafficking and recently pardoned by Trump.

U.S. visa and signaled criminal probes. According to a Colombian official working with Petro, he will no longer meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as he had initially planned during his visit to the United Nations last year.

S. " Petro insisted that the overall homicide rate in Colombia has remained relatively stable during his government, citing figures hovering around 25 to 26 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Under the Petro administration, sicariato or contract killings have increased while "social crime" has decreased.

Human rights groups have found that under the Petro administration, the membership, territorial control and violent power of organized crime groups have flourished. In 2022 under President Iván Duque, Colombian authorities eradicated 130,000 hectares of coca. Under Petro, coca eradication fell to roughly 9,000 hectares.

Coca cultivation in Colombia rose by at least 9,000 hectares in 2024, reaching roughly 262,000 hectares. This is the first Colombian government in 27 years to delay publication of the United Nations coca crop census figures by more than a year. Budget execution for Colombia's crop substitution and alternative development programs never exceeded 15 percent of allocated funds in any of the first three full years of Petro's government and was as low as 8 percent in some years.

6 million votes and endorsed de la Espriella. 5 percent. If he wins, de la Espriella has promised to resume widespread aerial fumigation of coca fields, banned in Colombia since 2015.

Petro sat down with CBS News to discuss his alternative approach to the war on drugs.