Tensions between the Colombian and United States governments are escalating. This Monday, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that it had recalled Ambassador Daniel García-Peña for consultations."Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy informs the public that Daniel García-Peña, Colombia's Ambassador to the United States of America, has been recalled for consultations by President Gustavo Petro Urrego and is already in Bogotá. In the coming hours, the national government will announce the decisions made in this regard," she stated in the text published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The situation comes hours after President Donald Trump called the Colombian president a “drug trafficking leader who fuels massive drug production in fields large and small all over Colombia.” He then called him a “lunatic” with “mental problems.” Trump on Colombia:"They make tremendous amounts of cocaine and they send it all over the world and they destroy families. No, Colombia is out of control. Now they have the worst president they've ever had. He's a lunatic." — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 20, 2025

Trump lashed out at President Petro several times this Sunday. He first did so in a social media post in which he also announced he would suspend aid to Colombia. The president argued that the money was a"scam" because the country wasn't producing results in that area. He asserted that drugs had become"Colombia's biggest business" and that "Petro is doing nothing to stop it, despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the U.S."

In the afternoon, from Air Force One, President Donald Trump made other, more personal but no less serious, remarks.

“Colombia is out of control. They now have the worst president they’ve ever had. He’s a lunatic. He has problems, mental problems,” he said.

Ambassador García-Peña's recall for consultations is the first consequence on the Colombian side of this attack by the US president.

This morning, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti also addressed the diplomat's return."The situation is not easy, and the solution lies through diplomatic channels. The Colombian ambassador to the United States will arrive in Bogotá in the next few hours to discuss the situation with the president," he tweeted.

The situation is not easy, and the solution lies through diplomatic channels. The Colombian ambassador to the United States will arrive in Bogotá in the next few hours to analyze the situation with President @petrogustavo. @CaracolRadio @6AMCaracol

— Armando Benedetti (@AABenedetti) October 20, 2025

Recalling an ambassador for consultations is a diplomatic mechanism by which a country expresses its disagreement with another government. It is a means of protest in international relations and in no way constitutes a severance of relations between the two countries. In many cases, it is a preliminary step toward recalling the ambassador, but for now, this scenario has not been mentioned.

The United States also used this mechanism against the Gustavo Petro administration. In July of this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recalled John T. McNamara, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, to Washington for urgent consultations following “.

At the time, the State Department stated that “in addition to the withdrawal of the Chargé d’Affaires, the United States is taking other steps to make clear our deep concern about   the current state of our bilateral relationship ,” but reiterated that “despite political differences with the current administration, Colombia remains an essential strategic partner. We are committed to close cooperation on several shared priorities, such as regional security and stability, and we remain committed to efforts that improve the lives of Americans and Colombians alike.”

The episode was related to statements made by President Gustavo Petro following the revelation by the Spanish newspaper El País of an alleged plot led by Álvaro Leyva to remove the president from power. Petro asserted that US officials could be supporting this plan.

What can happen?

The Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), led by María Claudia Lacouture, shared a series of reflections on the scenarios that this new diplomatic crisis could provoke.

There are two paths that could be worrisome. The first is an administrative freeze on new obligations and disbursements by the State, preserving only payments required by law or contract.

The organization explained that while there are funds that cannot be frozen because they are already established obligations and the contracts must be terminated, there are “non-obligated” funds that the White House can act on.

“The Default Control Act (ICA) prohibits the President from “freezing” for policy reasons what Congress has already approved, unless he requests a rescission from Congress or proves a legitimate “programmatic delay.” The GAO has already ruled that a “freeze” for policy reasons violated the ICA in the Ukraine case (2020),” Amcham recalls.

On the other hand, the other scenario that could be serious for the country is the tightening of decertification. That is, the withdrawal of the so-called waiver or national interest exemption for Colombia. Moving to a more radical measure could entail further cuts and penalties, such as a vote against the United States in international credit scenarios.