Trump comments on remarks by Colombia’s President Petro: Video
US President Donald Trump sharply criticised Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday, December 22, escalating a public exchange between the two leaders during a briefing from his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Asked to respond to Petro’s comments condemning the United States for seizing sanctioned Venezuelan oil and for what the Colombian leader described as the historical appropriation of land in the US southwest, Trump accused Colombia of hosting drug production and questioned Petro’s stance towards Washington.
Trump said Colombia remained a major source of cocaine entering the United States and described Petro as hostile to US interests, issuing a blunt warning as tensions between the two governments continued to rise.
Petro had earlier argued that the United States had historically “invaded” and taken territory that should belong to Latin America. He also defended Colombia’s role in the war on drugs and warned Trump against damaging nearly two centuries of diplomatic relations, cautioning him not to “awaken the jaguar”.
The exchange comes amid broader regional friction linked to US sanctions on Venezuela, drug trafficking policy, and shifting diplomatic dynamics between Washington and Latin American governments.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
