Colombian President Gustavo Petro has rejected threats by United States President Donald Trump, who accused him of involvement in drug trafficking and hinted at possible military action against Colombia.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump described Colombia as “very sick” and alleged that it was being run by “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” He further claimed, without evidence, that Petro operated “cocaine mills and cocaine factories.”
When asked if military intervention similar to the recent US operation in Venezuela was an option for Colombia, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me,” alleging that Colombians “kill a lot of people.”
The comments came a day after US forces carried out airstrikes on military targets in Caracas during a surprise operation that led to the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power.
Petro swiftly rejected Trump’s allegations, insisting that his record was clean.
“Stop slandering me, Mr Trump,” Petro wrote on the social media platform X, adding that his name “does not appear in court records.”
He also criticised Trump’s language, saying, “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.”
Petro has been vocal in condemning Washington’s military actions in the region, accusing the US of abducting Maduro “without legal basis.” In a later post, he added, “Friends do not bomb.”
Colombia’s foreign ministry described Trump’s comments as “unacceptable interference” in the country’s affairs and demanded respect for Colombia’s sovereignty.
Although Colombia and the United States are key military and economic allies, relations between the two countries have grown increasingly strained. Since the start of Trump’s second term, both leaders have clashed repeatedly over issues including tariffs and migration policy.
