Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivered a forceful rebuttal to US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing him of relying on “complete misinformation” in his latest remarks about Colombia’s anti-narcotics strategy and regional politics.
Trump had escalated his criticism earlier in the day, warning that Petro “will be next” as tensions between Washington and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro intensify, and accusing Colombia of running “cocaine factories” that ship drugs directly to the United States. The US president has repeatedly labelled Petro an “illegal drug dealer” without evidence.
Posting a detailed response on X, Petro called Trump “a man very misinformed about Colombia,” saying the comments reflect “disrespect toward a democratically elected president and the country he governs.”
Colombia, he wrote, “knows the most about cocaine trafficking,” and added: “It seems his advisers deceive him completely.”
Calls for better Colombia-US coordination
Petro pushed back on Trump’s narrative that Colombia is failing on narcotics control, highlighting his own administration’s record: more than 1,446 ground operations against criminal groups and 13 targeted bombings aimed at mafia leaders, many carried out with US intelligence support.
He also argued that the major cocaine routes have shifted away from the Caribbean toward the Pacific and the Amazon Basin, urging closer US-Colombia coordination on maritime monitoring and port security.
Addressing sharp policy differences with Washington over Venezuela, Petro said Colombia spent two years working with President Joe Biden on a roadmap for a peaceful transition in Caracas that would lead to free elections. He warned that any US-led military intervention in Venezuela “would burn all of South America, including Colombia.”
Trump has recently touted expanded US strikes on suspected trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, which have killed dozens.
Petro dismissed the approach as misguided, arguing that small-boat operators are “poor people,” while the major traffickers live abroad “on yachts near Dubai or in Madrid.”
