US President Donald Trump reiterated new threats against Colombian President Gustavo Petro, warning that the South American leader could be the next target in the anti-drug campaign.
On Wednesday, at a White House roundtable with business leaders, one reporter asked President Trump if he had spoken to Petro. Republican leaders reacted fiercely to this.
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“I haven’t thought much about him. He’s pretty hostile to the United States,” Trump said before launching into the attack.
“If he doesn’t act wisely, he’s going to find himself in big trouble,” Trump continued.
“Colombia produces a lot of drugs. Colombia has cocaine factories. You know, they make cocaine and sell it directly to the United States. So he better think smart, or he’ll be next. He’ll be next. I hope he listens. He’ll be next because we don’t like people killing people.”
The remarks came shortly after President Trump mentioned a U.S. military operation to seize oil tankers in the Caribbean aimed at punishing Venezuela and Iran for alleged sanctions violations.
Trump has long had a rocky relationship with Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader in modern history.
But the Republican president’s aggressive comments about Petro have strained relations with Colombia, which has partnered with the United States for decades as part of the global “war on drugs.”
Partners in the “war on drugs”
Until Trump returned to office in January, Colombia was one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid in South America.
The country is grappling not only with cocaine production within its borders, but also with a 60-year-old internal conflict pitting government forces against left-wing rebels, right-wing militias and criminal networks.
Colombia is the world’s largest producer of coca, the raw material for products such as cocaine. According to United Nations estimates, almost 253,000 hectares, or 625,176 acres, are devoted to its cultivation.
Critics argue that coca eradication efforts are greatly disadvantaging rural farmers, without providing them with alternative means of earning a living.
Instead, the Petro government is focused on attacking criminal networks that turn the leaves into drugs.
But President Trump and his allies have accused Petro of not taking more aggressive action to stop cocaine production in Colombia.
The US president has repeatedly threatened military action against Colombia over the issue.
On October 23, for example, he called Petro a “thug” and said Colombia “will not get away with it anymore.”
Most recently, during a Cabinet meeting on December 2nd, the US President spoke directly about the possibility of an attack.
President Trump told Cabinet members, “I heard that a country called Colombia manufactures cocaine.” “Those who engage in such acts and sell to our country will be subject to attack.”
But Petro defended his record and highlighted the campaign the government has carried out to destroy drug production facilities. He claims that 18,400 drug laboratories were dismantled during his tenure.
After the December cabinet meeting, Petro quickly responded to President Trump’s military threats. In a post on social media platform X, Colombia’s president reminded President Trump that his country is essential to the “war on drugs.”
“If there is one country that has helped stop Americans from consuming thousands of tons of cocaine, it is Colombia,” Petro wrote.
He also warned Trump not to “wake up the jaguar” by launching attacks on allies.
“Any attack on our sovereignty is tantamount to a declaration of war,” Petro said. “Please do not damage our two-century-old diplomatic relationship.”
Instead, he called on President Trump to directly participate in the fight against cocaine trafficking: “Mr. Trump, please come to Colombia. We invite you to join us in destroying the nine laboratories that we dismantle every day.”
However, the Trump administration issued a notice in September accusing Colombia of a “clear failure” to “comply with its obligations under international counternarcotics agreements.”
The following month, the United States made a historic decision to decertify Colombia’s counternarcotics operations. This is the first time the United States has taken such a step since 1997.
A wide variety of beef
But Petro and Trump have clashed on issues beyond the fight against drug trafficking.
On January 26, just days into President Trump’s second term, the two leaders exchanged threats on social media over newly revealed mass deportation efforts in the United States.
Petro opposed the harsh treatment of immigrants expelled from the United States, often in handcuffs without due process.
“The United States cannot treat Colombian immigrants as criminals,” Petro wrote on social media. He warned that he would not accept deportation flights from the United States.
In response, President Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Colombia, which would eventually rise to 50%. Peter eventually recanted.
However, the two leaders continue to exchange blows. For example, President Trump has been highly critical of Petro’s “complete peace” plan, a blueprint for negotiating with rebel groups embroiled in Colombia’s internal conflict.
The US president also took steps to personally punish Petro. In September, Petro traveled to New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly, spoke out against Trump and participated in a pro-Palestinian rally.
Within hours, the Trump administration revoked Petro’s visa, citing “his reckless and inflammatory behavior.”
The following month, it also imposed sanctions on Petro, freezing his assets in the United States.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s president has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of President Trump’s bombing campaign in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Since September 2, the Trump administration has attacked at least 22 ships, killing an estimated 87 people.
President Trump has claimed that the victims were drug traffickers, but neither he nor his officials have presented any public evidence to justify that claim. Colombians were among the victims.
One boat attack on October 17th allegedly targeted members of the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group. In another attack on October 16, two people survived, one of them Colombian.
This month, the family of Colombian national Alejandro Carranza also filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), alleging that the fishermen died during the September 15 strike.
United Nations human rights experts condemned the bombing as a form of extrajudicial killing. Petro called the attack a “murder” and a violation of Colombia’s sovereignty.
