Colombian President Gustavo Petro has rejected threats and accusations made by United States President Donald Trump, who described him as a drug trafficker and hinted at possible military action against Colombia.
The comments followed a dramatic US military operation in the early hours of Saturday in Caracas, where American forces bombed selected military targets during a rapid raid that resulted in the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Washington said the action was aimed at asserting control over the oil-rich country.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump turned his attention to Colombia, describing the country as “very sick” and accusing its leadership of involvement in cocaine production and trafficking to the United States.
“He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.
Asked whether Colombia could face a similar military intervention to Venezuela, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me,” alleging, without providing evidence, that such actions were justified because “they kill a lot of people.”
President Petro swiftly dismissed the claims, insisting they were baseless. In a post on the social media platform X, he said his name does not appear in any court records linked to drug trafficking.
“Stop slandering me, Mr Trump,” Petro wrote, adding that such language was not an appropriate way to address a Latin American leader who, he said, emerged from Colombia’s armed struggle and later from its pursuit of peace.
Petro has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s military actions in the region, accusing Washington of abducting Maduro without legal justification. In a separate post on Sunday, he added, “Friends do not bomb.”
Colombia’s foreign ministry also reacted strongly, describing the US president’s remarks as “unacceptable interference” and calling for mutual respect.
Although Colombia and the United States remain key military and economic partners in South America, relations between the two countries have been under strain. Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, both leaders have repeatedly clashed over issues including trade tariffs and migration policy.
