Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanking them for their recognition of President-elect of Colombia Abelardo de la Espriella and encouraging the administration to name a U.S. delegation to attend his inauguration.
On June 21st, 2026, de la Espriella was elected President of Colombia through a free and fair election. In the following weeks, Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to recognize de la Espriella’s victory, alleging fraud without providing any evidence.
In part, the Senators wrote:
“We write to encourage the administration to publicly express U.S. solidarity with Abelardo de la Espriella as he prepares to assume his role as the next President of Colombia. We were encouraged to see the joint statement from the Members of the Shield of the Americas rejecting attempts to cast doubt on the electoral outcome. To further extend America’s support to the new Colombian government, we also request you officially name a U.S. delegation to the August 7 inauguration and offer any needed transition support.”
Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20451
Dear President Trump and Secretary Rubio,
We write to encourage the administration to publicly express U.S. solidarity with Abelardo de la Espriella as he prepares to assume his role as the next President of Colombia. We were encouraged to see the joint statement from the Members of the Shield of the Americas rejecting attempts to cast doubt on the electoral outcome. To further extend America’s support to the new Colombian government, we also request you officially name a U.S. delegation to the August 7 inauguration and offer any needed transition support.
President Petro’s claims of election fraud are, of course, nonsense, and multiple observers have assessed the election was conducted transparently while fully complying with Colombian law. Petro is simply seeking to place his hand-chosen successor in power by alleging election interference.
Petro’s actions endanger Colombia’s peaceful democratic transition and potentially jeopardize our relationship with the country. A strong, democratically elected Colombian government is central to continuing your work to enhance regional security across issues such as combatting illegal immigration and narcoterrorism.
Both of your personal congratulations and prompt recognition of Mr. de la Espriella after his election win in June sent a strong message of support to the newly elected Colombian government. We ask that you continue that support by making it clear that the United States government will participate in the peaceful transition to the presidency of Abelardo de la Espriella.
Thank you for your steadfast focus on advancing America’s interests in the Western Hemisphere. Congress stands by to assist as required.
Sincerely,
Tom Cotton
United States Senator
