In an extraordinary escalation that threatens to end decades of strategic partnership, U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Sunday labeled Colombian President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader” and announced the immediate suspension of U.S. financial aid to Colombia.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Petro of “strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields all over Colombia,” calling the narcotics trade “the biggest business in Colombia, by far.”
“AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,” Trump wrote, using the spelling “Columbia” before correcting the name in a revised post. He went on to warn Petro that he “better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
The remarks amount to one of the most aggressive condemnations ever issued by a U.S. President against a Colombian counterpart, essentially placing Petro in the same category as Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who faces U.S. narcotics trafficking charges, and US$50 million reward for his arrest.
In August, the U.S. Department of State doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, calling him “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.” Attorney General Pam Bondi has accused Maduro of coordinating with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua — designated by Washington as a terrorist organization — and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. She said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro and his associates, including nearly seven tons tied directly to the Venezuelan leader.
Trump’s explosive attack on Petro comes amid a growing diplomatic row over U.S. maritime operations in Caribbean waters. Petro has accused the United States of committing “murder” following a strike on a Colombian fast boat that had departed Venezuelan waters in mid-September.
Posting on X, Petro claimed the “fishing vessel” was “adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure” when it was hit. “We await explanations from the U.S. government,” he wrote. One of the crew, Alejandro Carranza — who Petro said had “no ties to the drug trade” — was reportedly killed in the incident. “U.S. government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” Petro added.
Trump later confirmed that U.S. forces had carried out a sixth strike, telling reporters on Friday that the targeted vessel was a narco-submarine. “We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs,” he said while hosting the Ukrainian president at the White House.
The U.S. said it was repatriating to Colombia and Ecuador two survivors from the attack — the most recent operation since the U.S. naval build-up in the Caribbean. At least 29 people have been killed in similar maritime strikes, which Washington says target suspected traffickers.
On Wednesday, Trump also disclosed that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, adding to speculation in Caracas that the United States is attempting to target Maduro directly.
The suspension of aid marks a dramatic reversal in U.S.–Colombia relations. For nearly three decades, the two nations have cooperated closely on counternarcotics programs, military assistance, and intelligence sharing under initiatives such as Plan Colombia. Billions of dollars in U.S. funding have supported eradication programs, security forces, and rural development.
Petro, a former guerrilla and Colombia’s first leftist president, has drawn sharp criticism from Washington as coca cultivation and cocaine production have surged during the three years of his presidential term.
The Colombian government has not yet issued an official response to Trump’s remarks. The last comparable crisis in U.S.–Colombia relations occurred in the 1990s, when Washington decertified the Samper government over allegations of cartel financing. But Trump’s rhetoric and punitive actions are unprecedented in tone and scope.
