Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has intensified his verbal exchange with Donald Trump after accusations surfaced linking him to ‘narco terrorism’ similar to charges against Venezuela’s leader, following a dramatic Delta Force operation.
President Trump’s comments came aboard Air Force One on Sunday (January 4), where he labeled Colombia as ‘very sick’ and suggested it was ‘run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States’.
This comes despite Petro having been considered a key ally of Washington in the fight against drug cartels in Colombia, which is known as the world’s largest cocaine producer.
When questioned about the possibility of Colombia facing the same military actions as Venezuela on Saturday (January 3), Trump agreed it ‘sounds good to me’ and further warned Petro to ‘watch his ass’.
In a strong rebuttal, Petro, who was part of the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group until a peace agreement in 1989, declared on Monday: “I swore not to touch a weapon again… but for the homeland I will take up arms again.”
Elected as Colombia’s first left-wing president in 2022, Petro refuted all allegations linking him to drug trafficking.
He emphasized his initiatives to replace coca crops for impoverished farmers and his aggressive stance against drug cartels.
Pointing to a significant operation where 14 tonnes of cocaine were seized, Petro noted this as a record-setting achievement, alongside military operations against groups like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army, and FARC.
These remarks came after Trump accused him on Air Force One of running ‘cocaine mills and cocaine factories’.
On X, Petro said: “I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco, I only have as assets my family home that I still pay for with my salary. My bank statements have been published. No one could say that I have spent more than my salary. I am not greedy.”
Petro criticized Trump’s lack of understanding and warned of dire consequences should the U.S. choose to invade Colombia or attempt to overthrow his government.
He warned: “If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children. If you bomb peasants, thousands of guerrillas will return in the mountains.
“And if you arrest the president whom a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar.”
Petro concluded by addressing the Trump administration: “Know that you are facing a commander of the people. Free Colombia forever.”