Trump Calls Petro “Thug” as Colombia Threatens Legal Action, Putting 200-Year Alliance on Line

The war of words between Washington and Bogota exploded Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump branded Colombian President Gustavo Petro a “thug” who is “making a lot of drugs,” prompting Petro to announce plans to sue Trump in American courts.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said he was suspending all military aid to Colombia, accusing Petro of allowing cocaine production to surge.

“They make cocaine. They have cocaine factories … and he better watch it or we’ll take very serious action against him and his country,” Trump said, calling Colombia “a death trap.”

Petro hit back on X, calling Trump’s remarks “slanderous” and promising to defend himself “judicially with American lawyers in the American justice system.”

“I will always stand against genocides and murders by those in power in the Caribbean,” he added, saying Colombia would help “fight against the drug traffickers with the states that want our help.”

Tensions between the two leaders have escalated for weeks. Last weekend, Trump called Petro a “drug trafficking leader” and threatened to impose tariffs on Colombian exports. Petro responded by accusing the US president of acting like a “king” in Latin America and recalled Colombia’s ambassador from Washington.

“Only a fool would help invade where his family lives, to see them killed like in Gaza,” Petro said, rejecting any Colombian role in potential US action against Venezuela.

Colombian Ambassador Daniel Garcia Pena told AFP that Trump’s threats were “unacceptable” and warned they endangered the two countries’ centuries-old alliance.

The diplomatic breakdown follows Washington’s decision to “decertify” Colombia’s anti-narcotics performance, a move Bogota called politically motivated, and comes amid a US military buildup in the Caribbean targeting alleged drug smugglers.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the killing of five alleged “narco-terrorists” in two strikes in international waters this week, though no evidence was presented. Legal experts have called the killings violations of international law.