Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a dramatic public warning after former US President Donald Trump suggested he could be the next target for American military intervention, following the seizure of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro.
A War of Words Escalates
In a lengthy post on the social media platform X on Monday, President Petro called on Colombian citizens to defend him, labelling Trump's remarks an 'illegitimate threat.' The leftist leader, who was democratically elected in 2022, drew a sharp distinction between himself and the imprisoned Maduro, whose 2024 re-election was heavily contested.
'If you detain a president whom much of my people want and respect, you will unleash the people's jaguar,' Petro warned. He further stated he would dismiss any military commander who showed preference for the US flag over Colombia's and urged 'the people to defend the president against any illegitimate violent act.'
Trump's In-Flight Accusations
The fiery exchange was triggered by comments Trump made to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night. Returning to Washington from Florida, the former president took aim at Petro, claiming Colombia was being 'run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.'
'He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories,' Trump alleged, adding, 'He's not going to be doing it for very long.' When asked if the US military could conduct an operation in Colombia, Trump replied, 'It sounds good to me.' Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine.
Petro's Defence and Policy Record
In his response, President Petro pointed to his administration's efforts to tackle the drug trade. He highlighted ordering the largest seizure of the drug in 'world history' and promoting a voluntary crop substitution plan to wean farmers off coca cultivation.
Petro also issued a sobering caution about the realities of the conflict, noting that drug trafficking groups often recruit minors. 'If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children,' he wrote.
The Colombian leader has been a vocal critic of Trump-era policies, including deportation flights and military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, which he said killed 'poor people' instead of targeting major traffickers living abroad. His participation in a pro-Palestinian rally in New York in September, where he urged US service members to 'disobey the orders of Trump,' led the US State Department to revoke his visa.
Concluding his message, Petro firmly rejected any comparison to Maduro. 'I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco,' he asserted, detailing his modest personal assets and published bank statements. Colombia's next presidential election is set for May, with term limits ensuring Petro's successor will be sworn in this July.
