President Gustavo Petro responded this Wednesday to the harsh statements of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, who called him a “thug and a bad guy” and accused him of “manufacturing a lot of drugs.”
In a message published on his X account (formerly Twitter), the Colombian president assured that he will go to court in the United States to defend himself.
"I will defend myself legally with American lawyers in the United States courts against the slanderous accusations leveled against me on U.S. soil by high-ranking officials," the Colombian president said.
And he added:"I will always be against genocide and assassinations by those in power in the Caribbean. (...) 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."
Trump accuses Petro of "manufacturing drugs" and cuts aid to Colombia.
Trump's statements came from the Oval Office, where the US president lashed out at Petro, whom he described as “a guy who makes a lot of drugs”.
"He's a thug and a bad guy. He's a guy who makes a lot of drugs. He's done a lot of damage to his country. They're doing very badly," Trump told reporters.
The Republican reiterated that Colombia"has cocaine factories" and threatened harsher measures: "They grow all kinds of junk, and the bad drugs that enter the United States generally pass through Mexico, and (Petro) better watch out or we will take very serious measures against him and his country."
Trump also stated that what Petro "has done to his country is a death trap" and confirmed the end of financial aid to Colombia due to its alleged "inaction" in the fight against drug trafficking.
Tensions grow between Bogotá and Washington
Bilateral relations are at their most tense in years. Washington's decision to suspend economic cooperation coincides with the deployment of US military vessels and aircraft in Caribbean waters, an action that Bogotá and Caracas have publicly rejected.
This Wednesday, the United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, confirmed a new attack against an alleged drug boat in Pacific waters off Colombia, further aggravating the diplomatic crisis.
In response to this situation, President Petro insisted that his government will continue fighting drug trafficking, but"with the states that want our help."
