Trump-Petro Feud Escalates as U.S. Suspends Military Aid to Colombia:

Tensions between Washington and Bogotá have flared once again after a heated exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The clash reached new heights on Wednesday when Trump publicly branded Petro a “thug” and accused Colombia of “making a lot of drugs,” while announcing the suspension of all U.S. military aid to the South American nation. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump accused Petro of “hurting his country very badly” and claimed Colombia had become a hub for cocaine production under his leadership. “They make cocaine. They have cocaine factories,” Trump said. “He better watch it, or we’ll take very serious action against him and his country.” Trump also described Petro’s government as having led Colombia into a “death trap,” doubling down on his allegations that Bogotá has failed to curb the international narcotics trade. The Colombian president quickly fired back on social media, denouncing Trump’s remarks as defamatory and announcing plans to take legal action in U.S. courts. “From the slanders cast against me in the territory of the United States by high-ranking officials, I will defend myself judicially with American lawyers,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Petro added that Colombia would continue to cooperate with nations genuinely committed to combating drug trafficking but rejected what he called “imperialist” behavior. “We will fight against the drug traffickers with the states that want our help,” he said. The latest verbal clash follows weeks of escalating tension. Last weekend, Trump labeled Petro a “drug trafficking leader” and threatened to impose higher tariffs on Colombian exports. In response, Petro accused Trump of acting “like a king” in Latin America and violating international trade agreements. He also recalled Colombia’s ambassador to Washington and declared that Colombian troops would not support any potential U.S. military intervention in neighboring Venezuela. “What Colombian would help invade where their own family lives, only to see them killed like in Gaza?” Petro asked, condemning what he called reckless foreign policy by Washington. Colombia’s ambassador, Daniel García Peña, now back in Bogotá, described Trump’s comments as “unacceptable.” Speaking to AFP, he said, “Under no circumstances can one justify that kind of threats and accusations that have no basis whatsoever.” Peña warned that the long-standing alliance between the two nations—stretching back 200 years—was at serious risk. The feud comes after the Trump administration’s September announcement that it would decertify Colombia’s counter-narcotics efforts, claiming Bogotá had failed to meet its obligations to combat drug trafficking. The diplomatic storm also coincides with a controversial U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, where American forces have carried out a series of attacks on vessels allegedly involved in drug smuggling. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that one recent strike in the eastern Pacific killed two people, calling them “narco-terrorists”—though no evidence was presented. So far, U.S. forces have conducted eight such attacks in recent weeks, killing 34 people, according to official figures. Families of the deceased say the victims came from Colombia, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. Legal experts have condemned the strikes as unlawful, arguing that even suspected traffickers are entitled to due process under international law. While Colombia remains the world’s top cocaine producer, successive governments have worked alongside Washington to dismantle drug cartels and armed groups controlling production. In his latest defense, Petro claimed that 17,000 cocaine factories had been destroyed during his presidency—evidence, he said, that Colombia “is fighting the drug war, not fueling it.

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