President Trump has launched a direct and aggressive attack on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of being an "illegal drug leader" who encourages widespread drug production throughout Colombia. In a fiery post on Truth Social, Trump announced the immediate cessation of all U.S. aid, subsidies, and payments to Colombia, signaling a sharp shift in U.S. policy toward the country.
Trump blasted Petro for his failure to curb the drug trade in Colombia, a major source of narcotics—especially fentanyl—that fuels the U.S. opioid crisis. “President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia,” Trump wrote. He went on to describe the drug trade as "the biggest business in Colombia," accusing Petro of doing "nothing to stop it," despite U.S. financial support. “These payments, or any other form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia,” Trump declared, adding that such payments had been a “long-term rip-off” of America.
The U.S. has long been a financial backer of anti-narcotics operations in Colombia, but Trump’s message made it clear that the U.S. will no longer support Petro’s leadership. The President warned Petro to take immediate action to shut down what he referred to as Colombia’s “killing fields” used for drug production. “The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc,” Trump wrote. He further threatened that if Petro failed to act, the U.S. would intervene directly, “and it won’t be done nicely.”
This sharp warning follows a series of escalating tensions between the U.S. and Colombia. Petro has been vocal in his criticism of the U.S. government, particularly after a September incident in which a U.S. strike destroyed a boat in Colombian waters. Petro condemned the strike as an act of "murder" and a violation of Colombian sovereignty, claiming the boat’s crew, including a fisherman named Alejandro Carranza, had no ties to the drug trade and was simply fishing when the attack occurred.
Trump’s aggressive rhetoric comes amid a broader crackdown on drug trafficking. In the same week, Trump announced the destruction of a "drug-carrying submarine" in the Caribbean, reportedly loaded with fentanyl and other narcotics. The strike, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals, highlighted the ongoing efforts by the U.S. to target drug cartels operating in Latin America. Trump emphasized the importance of the strike, stating that if the submarine had reached shore, it could have caused the deaths of at least 25,000 Americans.
Furthermore, Trump has also ramped up threats against Venezuela, accusing President Nicolás Maduro of engaging in drug-running efforts and offering to meet U.S. demands in an attempt to avoid further escalation. “He has offered everything. He’s offered everything. You know why?” Trump said of Maduro. “Because he doesn’t want to f*** around with the United States.”
As U.S. actions intensify, the question remains whether President Petro will heed Trump’s warnings or continue to navigate the pressures from both within Colombia and abroad. With the growing U.S. response to drug trafficking in the region, Petro faces a critical moment in determining Colombia’s path forward in its relationship with the United States.
