During an event at the White House on October 23, Donald Trump, president of the United States, referred to Colombia and President Gustavo Petro.
The president said that the country is “a center for drug trafficking” and that “it has a very bad leader,” referring to the Colombian head of state.
Trump's statements come after tensions between the two presidents increased on October 22 following the news of the first US attack in the Pacific.
What did the President of the United States say about Colombia?
The mention of Colombia was brief:"You could look at a country like Mexico, and I really respect the president, I really respect a lot of the people there, but a lot of the leadership lives in fear in their own country because the cartels are ruining those countries and that includes Colombia."
And he added: "Colombia is a center for drug trafficking, and has been for a long time (...) They have a terrible leader there."
"They're producing cocaine at levels we've never seen before and selling it back here, and they're not going to get away with it," he said.
Finally, the president issued a strong threat:"We will not tolerate this much longer. Colombia is in very bad shape. Mexico is controlled by the cartels."
The White House says it sees no signs of de-escalation from the 'unhinged' Petro.
The White House said Thursday that it sees no signs of a de-escalation of tensions with Colombia by the government of"unhinged" President Gustavo Petro, whom US President Donald Trump accuses of being"a drug trafficking leader."
Asked what steps the Colombian government could take to improve the tense bilateral situation, Trump administration spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded,"I don't think we're seeing a de-escalation by Colombia's unhinged leader at this point."
"Frankly, I don't think the president (Trump) is interested in that right now," Leavitt added during a press conference at the U.S. Executive Residence.
The day before, Trump had called Petro a"thug and a bad guy" who "manufactures a lot of drugs." Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, he added that the Colombian president"has done a lot of damage to his country."
The Republican's statements coincide with the announcement of attacks by the US Army on two boats that were apparently loaded with drugs in the Pacific, at least one of them near the coast of Colombia, in an expansion of its military operations against drug trafficking.
Both countries are experiencing a new diplomatic crisis after the Republican president announced last Sunday the end of financial aid to the South American country due to its alleged inaction in the fight against drug trafficking and accused his Colombian counterpart of being a drug lord.
Petro, who has stepped up his criticism of Trump, has denied the accusations and called the American"rude and ignorant toward Colombia."
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