Colombia’s President, Gustavo Petro, the democratically elected leader of the Republic of Colombia in South America, has firmly rejected accusations and military threats issued by United States President, Donald Trump, describing them as defamatory and dangerous to regional stability.
Okay News reports that the dispute followed comments made by President Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, after United States military forces launched a surprise operation in Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, during the early hours of Saturday, aimed at removing Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, from power. Venezuela is an oil-rich South American nation that has faced prolonged political and economic turmoil.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump extended his aggressive rhetoric beyond Venezuela, directing sharp accusations at Colombia. He described the country as “very sick too” and claimed it was “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”
“He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said, without presenting evidence to support the allegation.
When asked whether the United States could carry out a military intervention in Colombia similar to the one executed in Venezuela, the American president responded, “It sounds good to me.”
“You know why, because they kill a lot of people,” Trump added, again without citing proof.
President Petro swiftly responded to the claims, rejecting any association with drug trafficking and stressing his legal record. “My name does not appear in court records,” Petro said.
“Stop slandering me, Mr Trump,” the Colombian leader wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Petro further emphasized his political history and Colombia’s long struggle for peace, stating, “That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people of Colombia’s fight for Peace.”
The Colombian president has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s military actions in the region, accusing Washington of abducting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro “without legal basis.”
In a later post on X on Sunday, Petro added, “Friends do not bomb.”
Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the statements from Washington, describing them as “unacceptable interference” in Colombia’s internal affairs and formally demanding “respect” from the United States government.
Although Colombia and the United States have historically maintained close military and economic ties, relations between both countries have become increasingly strained. Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term in office, the two leaders have clashed repeatedly over trade tariffs, migration policy, and regional security approaches.
