Trump labels Colombia president ‘illegal drug leader,’ cuts subsidies
President Trump on Sunday ripped Colombian President Gustavo Petro, saying he “is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Columbia” while cutting subsidies to the nation.
“It has become the biggest business in Columbia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLUMBIA,” Trump added in a post on Truth Social.
“The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc,” the president said.
“Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely
The president’s post came after Petro on Saturday accused the U.S. of “murder” after a September strike against what Trump labeled “confirmed narcoterrorists.”
“US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to the drug trade and his daily activity was fishing,” Petro said in a Spanish post on the social platform X, according to the artificial intelligence tool Grok.
“The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government,” he added.
Trump said on Sept. 15 the U.S. had undertaken a military strike aimed at what he said were “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela” in international waters.
“This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump posted on Truth Social, alongside video of a military strike targeting a boat floating on the water.