Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella took office Friday, vowing to wage war on drug-running guerrillas and usher in a new era of close ties with the United States.

The former lawyer won June's run-off election by less than a percentage point.

After four years of Socialist President Gustavo Petro’s "Total Peace" strategy, expanding coca cultivation and increasingly strained relations with Washington, De la Espriella now faces the challenge of translating campaign promises into governing reality.

De la Espriella, who has never held public office before, ran as an outsider, financing his campaign with the fortune he amassed as a lawyer and businessman.