Trump Calls Petro a 'Drug Lord'
Donald Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being a "drug lord" and said the US would cut off all aid to the country, escalating tensions between the two countries.
Trump claimed drug trafficking "has become Colombia's biggest business" and said Petro "has done nothing to stop it" despite receiving years of US funding. "STARTING TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS... WILL NO LONGER BE MADE," the US president wrote on social media Sunday.
The announcement follows Trump's decision in September to "decertify" Colombia as a partner in the fight against narcotics, placing the longtime US ally in the same category as Venezuela, Bolivia, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. The move comes amid the largest cocaine boom in history, with the bulk of the supply coming from Colombia, and threatens one of Washington's closest security alliances in Latin America. Petro hit back, saying in X that "Trump was deceived" by advisers, and adding that he had done more than any other leader to expose the ties between drug traffickers and Colombia's political elite.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday night that he would impose tariffs on Colombia as punishment for its drug trafficking and would announce the tariffs on Monday, calling the country a "drug-making machine."
Colombia has received about $14 billion in U.S. aid this century, including about $500 million since 2017 for military modernization, demining, and counternarcotics operations. Petro, who takes office in 2022, has sought "total peace" through negotiations with guerrillas and criminal groups rather than violence—a strategy that has not curbed violence or cocaine production.
Unable to run for reelection when his term ends next August, Petro has tried to rally the left to defend his agenda, portraying Trump as a foil and himself as a global leader of progressive causes. (asd)
Source: Newsmaker.id
