“He went crazy and became president”: Rubio jokes about De la Espriella and highlights their longstanding relationship

Marco Rubio joked that Abelardo de la Espriella “went crazy and became president” as the U.S. secretary of state described his longstanding personal connection with Colombia’s new leader.

Speaking to reporters in Barranquilla after meeting De la Espriella, Rubio recalled that the two men had known each other for years, before the Colombian entered politics. They had even sat at the same table at a wedding in Florida.

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He went crazy and became president, he became a politician.

“It is unusual to travel to a country and meet a head of state and president whom you have already known for years, before he became president, before he discovered politics,” Rubio said.

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It is unusual to travel to a country and meet a head of state and president whom you have already known for years, before he became president, before he discovered politics.

Rubio described De la Espriella, a wealthy far-right lawyer who took office a month ago, as “an energetic man, a man of vision” and a “brave” leader. He said the president was confronting a complex situation inherited from the previous government of leftist Gustavo Petro, as well as the damage caused by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake on Aug. 10.

The U.S. secretary of state also welcomed the prospect of rebuilding relations between Washington and Bogotá. He said those ties were natural because of the two countries’ personal, cultural and economic connections.

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An energetic man, a man of vision.