6 months ago
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U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly changed his code connected Wednesday (January 7, 2026) astir his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, saying they had exchanged a affable telephone telephone and he’d adjacent invited the person of the South American state to the White House.
“It was a Great Honor to talk with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explicate the concern of drugs and different disagreements that we person had,” Mr. Trump posted connected his societal media site. “I appreciated his telephone and tone, and look guardant to gathering him successful the adjacent future.”
He wrote that the upcoming gathering would instrumentality spot astatine the White House.
That came specified days aft Mr. Trump said successful the aftermath of the U.S. cognition to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro implicit the play that “Colombia is precise sick too” and accused Mr. Petro of ”making cocaine and selling it to the United States."
In comments to reporters aboard Air Force One connected Sunday (January 4, 2026), Mr. Trump added of Mr. Petro, “He’s not going to beryllium doing it precise long, fto maine archer you.” Asked whether U.S. involution was possible, Mr. Trump responded, ”Sounds bully to me.”
Later connected Wednesday (January 7, 2026), addressing thousands of protesters that helium had mobilized to rally against U.S. subject threats, Mr. Petro said helium had spoken with Mr. Trump for astir 1 hour.
“I talked astir 2 things: Venezuela and the contented of cause trafficking,” helium told the assemblage successful downtown Bogotá, wherever demonstrators had conscionable minutes earlier chanted slogans against the United States astatine Mr. Petro’s behest.
Also read: Colombian President Gustavo Petro rejects Donald Trump threats, says ‘stop slandering me’
Mr. Petro explained to the assemblage that Colombian politicians allegedly linked to narco-trafficking misled the U.S. president astir Mr. Petro’s grounds to crook Mr. Trump against him.
“Those (people) are liable for this situation — let’s telephone it diplomatic for now, verbal for present — that has erupted betwixt the U.S. and Colombia,” helium said.
Mr. Trump present abruptly warming to Mr. Petro is particularly astonishing since Colombia’s president called the U.S. cognition successful Venezuela an “abhorrent” usurpation of Latin American sovereignty. He besides suggested it was committed by “enslavers” and constituted a “spectacle of death” comparable to Nazi Germany’s 1937 carpet bombing of Guernica, Spain.
Colombia has agelong been among America’s staunchest Latin American allies, a pillar of Washington’s counternarcotics strategy abroad. For 3 decades, the U.S. has worked intimately with Colombia, the world’s largest shaper of cocaine, to apprehension cause traffickers, fend disconnected rebel groups and boost economical improvement successful agrarian areas.
Still, earlier Mr. Trump’s conciliatory post, tensions had been rising betwixt the U.S. and Colombia for months.
The Trump medication imposed sanctions successful October connected Mr. Petro, his household and a subordinate of his authorities implicit accusations of engagement successful the planetary cause trade. Colombia is considered the epicenter of the world’s cocaine trade.
Mr. Trump began his monthslong unit run connected Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes connected alleged cause smuggling boats launched from Venezuela successful the Caribbean. He yet expanded the operations to besides people suspected vessels successful the eastbound Pacific that came from Colombia.
The U.S. successful September added Colombia, the apical recipient of American assistance successful the region, to a database of nations failing to cooperate successful the cause warfare for the archetypal clip successful astir 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.
“He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Petro connected Sunday (January 4, 2026). "He’s not going to beryllium doing it.”
