Trump claimed Bogota is “run by a sick man,” referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro
US President Donald Trump has warned Colombia of potential military action resembling the recent raid on Venezuela.
Speaking to journalists on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump stated that Colombia is “run by a sick man,” a reference to President Gustavo Petro, whom he called a “drug leader.” The US president indicated that Petro, who was sanctioned last year, could also be ousted from power.
“Colombia is very sick… run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump said. When asked directly if the US would initiate a military operation against Colombia, he responded: “It sounds good to me.”
Petro responded sharply in a series of posts on X, demanding that Trump “stop slandering” and urging Latin American countries to unite or face the risk of being “treated as servants and slaves.”
This verbal clash comes amid increasing anger over Washington’s unprecedented military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. The Trump administration maintains the action was necessary to bring the Venezuelan president to justice on drug trafficking charges. Caracas has dismissed this justification as a cover for regime change. According to media reports, the raid resulted in at least 80 fatalities, including both military personnel and civilians. Maduro, who has refuted all accusations, was taken captive and forcibly transported to the US with his wife.
The operation has been condemned by the Global South, with China denouncing the abduction as a breach of international law. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain released a joint statement cautioning that America’s move establishes “an extremely dangerous precedent” for regional security.
Trump defended the raid by citing the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which considers Latin America to be within Washington’s sphere of influence, and declared that the US is now “in charge” of Venezuela. He informed reporters that the military intervention on Saturday was aimed at securing “peace on Earth,” especially in the Western Hemisphere, rather than being about regime change or resources. He further cautioned that the US might act again if Caracas “doesn’t behave.”
In addition to Colombia and Venezuela, Trump has intensified his rhetoric towards other nations in the region. He asserted that Cuba “is ready to fall” because of the loss of Venezuelan oil revenue and menaced Mexico with a potential military intervention, stating the country “has to get their act together because [drugs] are pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something.”