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Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella has appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian goods, citing the nation's struggle to recover from a recent deadly earthquake.

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I asked him to consider to temporarily suspend the high tariffs that are affecting Colombian products, in order to give some relief to our business owners, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake.

The request, made via the social media platform X, targets tariffs that increased to 12.5 percent in late July. De la Espriella expressed hope that suspending these duties would provide much-needed relief to Colombian business owners already facing severe economic hardship due to the earthquake's devastating effects.

During a "friendly and cordial" 10-minute conversation, Trump offered condolences for the nearly 300 lives lost and the destruction of thousands of homes in the quake. De la Espriella informed Trump about the immense challenge of rebuilding Colombia amidst an "extremely difficult and apocalyptic economic situation" inherited from the previous administration.

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The conversation was very friendly and cordial.

De la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer-turned-politician endorsed by Trump during his presidential campaign, has aligned Colombia with the U.S.-led "Shield of the Americas" anti-cartel alliance. He also plans to establish a military alliance with the United States and Israel to combat guerrilla groups.

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I told him that we have a huge challenge ahead: rebuilding Colombia amid the extremely difficult and apocalyptic economic situation that I inherited.