Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration would stop all aid to Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of failing to act against drug production.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump referred to Petro as “an illegal drug dealer” who allows large-scale drug cultivation to continue across Colombia.
“President Gustavo Petro of Colombia is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs in big and small fields all over Colombia,” Trump wrote.
“As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia,” he added.
Trump said that Petro “does nothing to stop it, despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long-term rip-off of America.”
He warned that if Petro did not act, the United States would “close up these killing fields” itself, adding, “it won’t be done nicely.”
The remarks, made from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, mark a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries. Colombia has long been one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America.
In September, the Trump administration accused Colombia of not cooperating in anti-narcotics efforts, though Washington at the time granted a waiver to avoid immediate aid cuts.
Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine. The United Nations reported that cultivation of coca the crop used to make cocaine reached a record high last year.
Recently, the US State Department said it would revoke Petro’s visa while he was in New York for the UN General Assembly, citing his participation in a protest where he called on American soldiers to ignore Trump’s orders.
“I ask all the soldiers of the United States’ army, don’t point your rifles against humanity,” Petro said at the time. “Disobey the orders of Trump.”
