“Watch His Ass”: Trump Puts Colombia’s Petro on Blast in High-Stakes Cocaine Crackdown
The bromance between Washington and Bogota is officially dead and buried.
President Trump just sent a massive warning shot across the bow of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and he didn’t mince words. Speaking from Mar-a-Lago, Trump labeled the left-wing leader a “troublemaker” and a “very bad guy” who needs to start shutting down cocaine labs before the U.S. shuts them down for him.
The “Stolen Land” Beef This latest blowout started after Petro tried to lecture the U.S. on history. Following U.S. seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers, Petro claimed the southern United States was “stolen land” and demanded that Texas and California be “given back.”
Trump’s response? He pivoted straight to the drug trade, essentially telling Petro that if he wants to talk about international law, he should start with the literal tons of white powder flooding across the U.S. border from Colombian soil.
“Close Them Up Fast” Trump claimed Colombia is currently sitting on at least three massive, industrial-scale cocaine factories. His message to Petro was clear: “He better watch it” and “close them up fast.”
This isn’t just tough talk; the administration is already moving. The State Department has already revoked Petro’s visa, and the U.S. has slammed Colombia with sanctions under anti-drug trafficking authorities—moves that haven’t been seen in decades.
The End of Aerial Fumigation The friction isn’t just personality-based; it’s policy. Since Petro took office in 2022, he’s been at odds with Washington over how to handle the coca crop. While the U.S. wants aerial fumigation (spraying the crops from planes), Petro’s government banned it over environmental concerns.
In a desperate bid to ease the pressure, Colombia announced it would start using drones to destroy the crops. But for the Trump administration, it’s too little, too late. For the first time in 30 years, the U.S. officially added Colombia to the list of nations failing to cooperate in the War on Drugs.
Bombing Allegations and High Tensions Things hit a boiling point when Petro accused the Trump administration of bombing a Colombian boat carrying civilians during a drug-smuggling intercept near Venezuela. The U.S. has dismissed the claims, but the rhetoric shows that the relationship between the two nations is at an all-time low.
Straight Talk Summary: Trump is losing patience with Colombia’s first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro. After Petro called for the U.S. to “return” Texas and California, Trump fired back by accusing him of allowing cocaine to flood the U.S. and demanding he shut down production immediately. With visas revoked and sanctions in place, the U.S.-Colombia alliance is hanging by a thread as Trump pivots toward a “Zero Tolerance” policy in the Caribbean.
