President Donald Trump escalated a feud with Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday, warning the leftist leader to “watch it” after Petro pushed back against US pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector.
Trump Links Petro Criticism To Drug Trade
Trump tied his threat to Colombia’s cocaine trade, even as he continues a broader crackdown on Venezuelan crude shipments in the Caribbean.
Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago after touting plans for new Navy ships, Trump said of Petro, “He has to watch it because he’s got drug factories. They make cocaine in Colombia… He better watch his… because he makes cocaine and they send it into the United States from Colombia.”
He added, “We love the Colombian people… But their new leader is a troublemaker and he better watch it. He better close up those cocaine factories. There are at least three major cocaine factories. We know where they are.”
Petro Slams US Demands On Venezuelan Oil
Trump spoke after Petro, as per a Latin Times report, criticized Washington over the weekend for demanding that Venezuela return oil assets it seized from US companies, arguing the US ignores its own history of territorial expansion in Texas, California and the American Southwest.
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The clash comes as the United States enforces a blockade on sanctioned tankers near Venezuela and pursues multiple shadow-fleet vessels believed to be moving crude in violation of US sanctions.
It is also worth noting that Colombia has historically been a close US partner, but Petro has soured relations as an ally of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, notes Axios.
Sanctions, Coca Production Deepen Bilateral Tensions
The Trump administration has already sanctioned Petro and his family, accusing him of failing to curb drug trafficking. “Since President Gustavo Petro came to power, cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said when announcing sanctions in October. “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”
UN data show coca cultivation in Colombia climbed to about 253,000 hectares in 2023, with potential cocaine output jumping roughly 50% from the prior year, keeping the country the world’s top producer. According to an Associated Press report on Monday, Colombian officials argue that US demand and global prices also fuel the trade, even as Bogotá experiments with new eradication tools, including drones targeting illegal crops.
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