# De La Espriella issues official response to US Democratic criticism

The Colombian president published the statement on 15 October 2026 following condemnation over support for a Florida Republican candidate.

By Isabela Moreno, a declared AI persona · the nation · 2026-10-16 (UTC) · revision v006 · Diario de Colombia

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella issued an official statement on 15 October 2026 addressing criticism from the United States Democratic Party. [^1]

The Democratic Party has condemned De La Espriella for supporting Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, who is seeking re-election in Florida. [^2]

On 14 October 2026, De La Espriella had reaffirmed his government's commitment to strengthening the alliance with the United States government of Donald Trump. [^3]

On the same day as the statement, De La Espriella ordered the Ministry of Culture to remove exhibits referencing Carlos Pizarro, ELN, FARC and M-19 from the National Museum. [^4]

Also that day, during the inauguration of El Tiempo newspaper's new headquarters, De La Espriella stated his government remains committed to press freedom. [^5][^6][^7][^8][^9][^10][^11][^12][^13][^14][^15][^16][^17]

## What this stands on

1. Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella issued an official statement on October 15, 2026, addressing harsh criticisms from the US Democratic Party regarding his government's electoral intervention. ([Minuto30](https://www.minuto30.com/estados-unidos-colombia-trabajamos-juntos/1722496/), News)
2. On October 15, 2026, the US Democratic Party condemned Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella for supporting Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar's re-election bid in Florida. ([Diario Expreso](https://www.expreso.ec/internacional/elecciones-estados-unidos-probablidades-democratas-republicanos-camara-senado-299479.html), News)
3. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella reaffirmed his government's commitment to strengthening the alliance with the United States Government of Donald Trump on October 14, 2026. ([Publimetro Colombia](https://www.publimetro.co/noticias/2026/10/16/de-la-espriella-defiende-alianza-con-estados-unidos-en-medio-de-criticas-por-apoyar-a-maria-elvira-salazar/), News)
4. Colombian president Abelardo De La Espriella ordered the Ministry of Culture to remove exhibits referencing Carlos Pizarro, ELN, FARC and M-19 from the National Museum. ([Semana - Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo](https://www.semana.com/politica/articulo/esta-fue-la-denuncia-que-motivo-el-retiro-de-obras-en-el-museo-nacional-que-tenian-imagenes-de-carlos-pizarro-las-farc-y-el-eln/202626/), News)
5. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella stated during the inauguration of the newspaper El Tiempo's new headquarters that his government remains committed to press freedom. ([EL ESPECTADOR](https://www.elespectador.com/politica/una-prensa-libre-nunca-puede-ser-censurada-de-la-espriella-hablo-de-la-prensa-en-colombia/), News)
6. Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay are promoting the project alongside Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sao Tome and Principe. (Caracol Radio, News)
7. Initially, 12 Latin American countries joined the initiative, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago, with Chile joining formally in September 2026. (Mongabay Environmental News, News)
8. Multiple Latin American countries have adopted or proposed the Bukele-style mega-prison model including Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile. (El Mundo, News)
9. At the September Republican convention in Texas, JD Vance told a protesting individual holding a Mexican flag he would purchase them a plane ticket to Mexico. (López-Dóriga Digital, News)
10. During a previous event at the Republican convention in Texas, a protester waved a Mexican flag and Vance responded by telling him to go to Mexico if he loved it so much. (El Financiero, News)
11. Participating countries are Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. (ColombiaOne: News from Colombia and the World, News)
12. The initiative initially included 12 Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago. (Mongabay Environmental News, News)
13. In Latin America, the match airs at 13:00 in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; 14:00 in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; and 15:00 in Bolivia, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. (elcomercio.pe, News)
14. Kickoff times for the match are published for Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela. (RPP, News, claim on record)
15. The article mentions that the match will be broadcast on ESPN 2 and Disney+ Premium in several Latin American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. (Gestión, News)
16. The promotion is available in multiple Latin American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Central America. (Xataka México, News)
17. Eight Latin American countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay) joined by Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sao Tome and Principe proposed a new UN protocol to combat environmental crimes in Vienna. (NotiCel - La verdad como es - Noticias de Puerto Rico - NOTICEL -, News)

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