By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies
US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Colombian President Gustavo Petro “will be next” to face potential US action, accusing him of hostility toward Washington and linking his administration to drug production.
Responding to questions about whether he intended to open dialogue with Petro, after recent outreach to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said Petro "has been quite hostile toward the United States."
“I hope he listens. He'll be next. He's going to have serious problems,” Trump threatened.
Trump again accused Colombia of increasing drug production and “selling it directly” in the United States, repeating a claim he has parroted on numerous occasions, increasing tensions with the Latin American state. In October, Petro was placed on the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control [OFAC] list over allegations tied to the expansion of cocaine production during his tenure.
Trump's threats against Petro were delivered shortly after he addressed a US military action in the Caribbean Sea, where American forces hijacked an oil tanker in an operation aimed at punishing Venezuela and Iran for what the administration described as sanctions violations.
Relations between Washington and Bogota have deteriorated sharply since Trump's return to office in January, marking a dramatic shift for what had been one of the closest US partnerships in South America. Colombia previously ranked among the top recipients of US aid in the region, built on decades of collaboration in counter-narcotics operations that continued under President Petro.
Colombian traffickers cultivate the plant across approximately 253,000 hectares, based on UN data, while Trump has repeatedly emphasized eradication as the solution, his approach has drawn criticism for targeting impoverished rural communities without providing economic alternatives.
Petro's administration has taken a different tack, prioritizing the dismantling of criminal organizations that process coca into narcotics. The Colombian leader asserts his government has destroyed over 18,400 drug laboratories since taking office.
Trump has made veiled references to military intervention on multiple occasions. At a December cabinet meeting, he stated that any nation producing and exporting cocaine into American territory “is subject to attack.” His October remarks were equally pointed, calling Petro a "thug" and warning that Colombia would not escape consequences "much longer."
Petro has responded forcefully to these provocations, emphasizing Colombia's contributions to interdicting drug shipments bound for the United States. He cautioned Trump against violating Colombian sovereignty, warning that such action would constitute an act of war that could damage two centuries of bilateral relations. The Colombian leader also challenged Trump to visit Colombia personally to witness the daily dismantling of narcotics facilities.
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