Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo De La Espriella, has drawn widespread criticism after sharing a video on social media showing him walking through rows of white body bags, which he claims contain the bodies of 23 "neutralized" guerrillas. The footage was released as part of a campaign to highlight his commitment to an "all-out war" against illegal armed groups, a promise he made when he took office last month. In the video, De La Espriella stated, "I promised to confront terrorism without hesitation and I'm keeping that promise," and added, "I did not come to play nice with murderers, extortionists and child recruiters. I came to defeat them... Long live Christ the king!" The president celebrated a recent military operation in the Colombian Amazon, where the 23 alleged terrorists were killed, describing them as a "cancer" to be destroyed. The video, set to a dramatic Hollywood-style soundtrack, has been sharply criticized by human rights activists and political opponents. Left-wing politician Iván Cepeda, who lost the June election to De La Espriella, called the video disturbing, writing on X: "He walks among the bags with the corpses. He nearly steps on them with contempt. He calls himself a Christian but in reality he's an unscrupulous being lacking the slightest sense of humanity." Another left-wing lawmaker, Daniel Monroy, accused the president of "necropolitics," a term used to describe policies that devalue human life, and called the video "one of the most bizarre things we've seen." De La Espriella's predecessor, Gustavo Petro, also condemned the video, calling it an example of "turning death into a trophy – something only soulless people can do." In response to his critics, De La Espriella stated, "Forgiving terrorists is God's business. Sending them to meet him – if that's where they're headed – is the president's job." His comments reflect a broader trend in the Americas, where right-wing populist leaders are increasingly using aggressive, performative rhetoric to attract voters. This approach includes the use of slick, media-friendly content to showcase crackdowns on crime. In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele has gained attention for his videos showing his country's notorious mega-prison, while former U.S. President Donald Trump has shared footage of alleged drug boats being attacked in the Caribbean and Pacific. In Brazil, ahead of October’s elections, several candidates are promising harsh actions against drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. One candidate, Renan Santos, recently vowed to "stain the ground red with the blood of these lowlifes," promising a "bloodbath" if he wins power. Flávio Bolsonaro, a leading challenger to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has vowed to wage war on "narco-terrorists," despite allegations of his own ties to organized crime. Meanwhile, Felipe Curi, a former police chief running for office in Rio, has used AI-generated videos to depict himself shooting armed men in the favelas, alongside images of people killed in police raids.