As I reported on Friday evening, it's a new day for Colombia and the entire Western Hemisphere. The country's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, took the reins, sending the socialist clown Gustavo Petro packing, after Petro spent four years trying to make "peace" with the narco-terrorist groups that plague the country. In grown-up speak, that means he did absolutely nothing but play around on social media and brag about his erotic poetry and abilities to please a woman... and let things get worse.
President Abelardo de La Espriella took office in Colombia, promising tougher policies on security, drug trafficking and the economy https://t.co/YZycsBLMLR pic.twitter.com/a7nqt8RtxS
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 8, 2026
President de la Espriella promised from day one to be a hardliner on crime, telling FARC Dissidents, the ELN, Clan del Golfo, and the other terrorist groups that have taken over parts of Colombia that their days are numbered. He's even taking a page out of Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele's playbook, and building mega-prisons to house them.
On Friday, Camilo Guzmán, executive director of Libertank, told Fox News Digital, "President de la Espriella inherits a house with the roof leaking and the safe empty. The order matters because almost everything he promised requires money he does not have."
While true, on Friday night, the State Department announced that it will give the man everyone calls "El Tigre" a little boost to start with, to the tune of $1 billion. It's all about repairing our relationship after four years of Petro and deepening security and economic partnerships. Here's more:
A Presidential Delegation, led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, represented the United States at the August 7 inauguration of President Abelardo de la Espriella. The delegation demonstrates U.S. commitment to reinvigorating the U.S.-Colombia relationship and deepening of our shared security and economic partnership. As a cornerstone of this renewed partnership, the United States, working with Congress, intends to announce $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package to support President de la Espriella’s Administration in achieving our shared goals. Building on more than 200 years of friendship, the Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with the new administration to ensure security and prosperity for the United States, Colombia, and our hemisphere.
The State Department also announced that the Donald Trump administration will welcome Colombia into the Shield of the Americas, and "stands ready to support the de la Espriella Administration’s efforts to defeat the vicious narco-terrorist and criminal organizations that threaten U.S., Colombian, and hemispheric security and economic prosperity."
That will include strengthening Colombia's security forces by "deploying unmatched U.S. technology, scoping defense spending to be more efficient, building interoperability, and executing coordinated operations with U.S. forces."
We'll also help them disrupt these groups that the United States has deemed Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Transnational Criminal Organizations, by freezing assets and prosecuting those who finance them. And we'll help Colombia expand coca eradication and cocaine interdiction operations; halt illegal immigration flows through its country; and protect children from forced recruitment and exploitation by armed groups.
Related: If I Were a Cartel, I'd Be Terrified Right About Now
Finally, we'll help the country "reclaim, hold, and build state presence in territory once controlled by armed groups, with efforts ranging from humanitarian demining to coordinated security, justice, and economic investments in high-threat regions."
Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful renewed friendship to me.
The country's new vice president, José Manuel Restrepo, was in Washington, D.C. last month, and a lot of what's in this State Department announcement lines up with what he and his team asked for from the United States.
Good meeting with Colombian Vice President-Elect @jrestrp to discuss the future of the U.S.-Colombia partnership. We look forward to working with President-Elect @ABDELAESPRIELLA’s incoming administration to strengthen security cooperation and expand economic ties. pic.twitter.com/WVJ8kjnFg1
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 15, 2026
A safer and more secure Colombia is important for both American continents, and really, the entire world. Cocaine is the country's number one export, and it's responsible for about 70% of the world's supply of the drug. Under Petro's rule, the number of members of illegal armed terrorist groups in the country more than doubled, to about 28,800. They control large areas of territory, especially in rural areas, and they run coca processing, extortion, illegal mining, and migrant smuggling corridors. Homicide rates are high, too. And all of this spills over into Ecuador, Venezuela, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and U.S. and European street markets.
In addition to security assistance, the United States will be investing economically, and the language on the State Department fact sheet tells me one thing: This is largely aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region. President de la Espriella’s team has also signaled to Washington a commitment to withdrawing from the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
With that in mind, economically, the United States plans to:
Contribute to international relief funds and future humanitarian aid packages that help Colombian communities recover from potential El Niño-related flooding, drought, and other natural disasters.
Launch a Bilateral Prosperity Dialogue to serve as a platform for stabilizing Colombia’s economy, strengthening its energy generation and distribution sectors, exploring critical mineral investments, and creating new opportunities for U.S. investors.
Strengthen Colombian small and medium enterprises in agribusiness, manufacturing, and tech services by connecting them to U.S. buyers and linking them to U.S.-aligned supply chains.
Modernize Colombia’s digital, port, and energy infrastructure while positioning Colombia as a trusted nearshoring partner for supply chain diversification.
Advance bilateral nuclear energy cooperation and position Colombia for long-term partnership with U.S. industry on peaceful civil nuclear applications.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member