In an editorial published Tuesday, The Guardian argued that the June 21 election of Abelardo de la Espriella as Colombia’s next president marks a new phase in how U.S. political influence operates internationally — one that relies on privately controlled electoral infrastructure rather than traditional state intervention.
The editorial, titled “The Guardian view on Colombia’s election: Trumpism has gone transnational,” described the contest between de la Espriella and leftwing senator Iván Cepeda as a case study in modern electoral interference. Leftwing incumbent Gustavo Petro, whose ally Cepeda narrowly lost the runoff, alleged that President Donald Trump had interfered in the race. The Guardian said the allegation should not be taken as proof of a stolen election, but it added that the claim should not be dismissed out of hand.
Trump publicly endorsed de la Espriella before the runoff. The Guardian noted that de la Espriella’s razor-thin victory stood in contrast to the scale of his rightwing platform, which includes plans for mega-prisons, a war on rebel groups, a shrunken state, renewed oil exploration, fracking and corporate tax cuts. The editorial observed that de la Espriella faces significant political constraints: Petro’s Pacto Histórico coalition holds the largest bloc in Congress.
The editorial argued that the nature of electoral influence has changed, saying that U.S. power no longer needs armed force to achieve its objectives and can now work through data, disinformation and fear. It described Colombia’s campaign as a polarized battleground for fake news and disinformation, though it noted that Petro’s allegations of altered electoral data remain unproven.
To illustrate the pattern, The Guardian cited three recent Latin American elections. In Honduras, it said, Trump-backed conservative Nasry “Tito” Asfura won last December by fewer than 30,000 votes, and Asfura’s leftwing opponents alleged that millions of text messages had been sent to voters receiving U.S. remittances warning that support for their candidate could see cash cut off. In Chile, during José Antonio Kast’s victorious campaign last year, a gas company app allegedly sent pro-Kast push notifications after being hacked, according to the editorial. In Argentina, the editorial said, Trump’s threat to pull $40 billion in support if Javier Milei lost gave voters a powerful financial incentive to stick with him during Milei’s surprise midterm win in 2025.
The Guardian framed the Latin American experience as a warning for other democracies. It pointed to the Rycroft review into electoral influence, which concluded that foreign actors — including private citizens from allied nations such as the United States — can interfere through money, social media, and division. The old model involved foreign enemies cultivating MPs or lobbying through front organizations, the editorial said, while the new model is subtler and features billionaires, data brokers, platforms, crypto, influencers and AI.
The editorial noted that Petro’s presidency had produced reductions in poverty, higher wages, and a transition away from fossil fuels before a drought drove electricity prices higher, exposing vulnerabilities in that strategy. The Guardian said the lesson from South America is not that rightwing victories are illegitimate but that democracy is weakened when the infrastructure of politics is privately owned, poorly regulated and open to manipulation.