President Gustavo Petro stated this Wednesday that he will defend himself before the United States Justice Department against the"slander" of high-ranking officials of that country against him, after his US counterpart, Donald Trump, called him a"thug and a bad guy" and accused him of manufacturing "many drugs."
"Regarding the slander that has been launched against me in the territory of the United States, high officials; I will defend myself judicially with American lawyers in the American justice system," Petro wrote on his X account, amid the growing diplomatic tension between Bogotá and Washington over anti-drug policy.
Petro added that he will always beagainst genocides and assassinations of power in the Caribbean."
(More: The United States suspended all payments and all financing to Colombia).
I will defend myself against the slander that has been hurled at me on US soil by high-ranking officials in the US courts with American lawyers.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 22, 2025
I will always be against genocide and assassinations by those in power in the Caribbean.
When they require our… https://t.co/EQbXYRRQeB
From the Oval Office of the White House, Trump told reporters this afternoon that the Colombian president"has done a lot of damage to his country," days after announcing the end of financial aid to Colombia due to its alleged inaction in the fight against drug trafficking and pointing to Petro as a "leader of drug trafficking." "They have cocaine factories. They grow all kinds of crap, and the bad drugs that come into the United States generally go through Mexico, and he better be careful and take very serious measures against him and his country," Trump added. (More: ). Petro, who has intensified his criticism of Trump since he ordered a military deployment in the Caribbean in August under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, responded that Colombia is willing to fight against the drug trafficking with States that request their collaboration, including the United States.
"When they need our help to fight drug trafficking, American society will have it. We will fight drug traffickers with the states that want our help," concluded the Colombian head of state in his publication.
These statements and Trump's announcement of the end of the aid come amid escalating tensions between Colombia and the United States, its main trading partner, over the war that Washington has declared against drug trafficking.
(You can read: ).
The presence of US military ships and aircraft in the waters of the Caribbean Sea has provoked rejection from governments such as those of Colombia and Venezuela, further raising tensions with Trump.
This Wednesday, the Pentagon announced a new attack against an alleged drug boat, this time in the waters of the Pacific off Colombia. So far, Petro has not commented on the matter.
A relationship under tension
Relations between Colombia and the United States are going through one of their most complex moments in recent years. Recent statements by Trump, who accused Petro of alleged ties to drug trafficking, unleashed a diplomatic crisis that has tested decades of cooperation between the two countries. The controversy was compounded by Washington's decision to reduce economic and military assistance to Colombia, an announcement that set off alarm bells in Bogotá and among economic sectors. The issues of drug trafficking, military cooperation, and trade continue to be the axes of friction, while both nations seek to prevent a political dispute from turning into a far-reaching crisis. PORTFOLIO
