Florida Republican running for re-election snags presidential endorsement — from Colombia

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., who faces a tightening race in her heavily Hispanic congressional district, picked up a presidential endorsement Monday — but not from the Oval Office occupant.

Colombia’s president, the Trump-allied Abelardo de la Espriella, called Salazar “Colombia’s best friend in U.S. Congress” in a Spanish-language video Salazar posted on X.

De la Espriella, a Colombian-American citizen who owns property in Salazar’s district, and his wife have donated nearly $90,000 to Salazar in the past.

Salazar made waves last month when she broke with President Donald Trump over immigration, directly addressing him in an ad in which she said some of his immigration enforcement efforts had gone “too far.”

“Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” Salazar said.

She is one of several Republicans to have distanced themselves from Trump as the midterm elections approach.

In the days after the ad aired, Trump told reporters at the White House that “without me she wouldn’t have gotten elected,” adding that Salazar “got a little bit soft on the border” while saying he still supported her campaign.

Trump later…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business