Trump claimed Bogota is “run by a sick man,” referring to Columbian President Gustavo Petro
US President Donald Trump has threatened Colombia with military action similar to last week’s raid on Venezuela.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Colombia is “run by a sick man,” referring to President Gustavo Petro, whom he labeled a “drug leader.” The US president suggested that Petro, whom he sanctioned last year, could be removed from power too.
“Colombia is very sick… run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump stated. Asked directly whether the US would launch a military operation against the country, he replied: “It sounds good to me.”
Petro responded sharply in a series of posts on X, urging Trump to “stop slandering” and calling on Latin American nations to unite or risk being “treated as servants and slaves.”
The exchange follows growing outrage over Washington’s unprecedented military operation to seize Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, which the Trump administration says was needed to bring the Venezuelan president to trial on drug trafficking charges. Caracas rejects this explanation as a pretext for regime change. Media reports say at least 80 people, both military and civilian, were killed in the raid. Maduro, who has denied all allegations, was abducted and forcibly flown to the US along with his wife.
The raid has drawn condemnation from the Global South, while China slammed the abduction as a violation of international law. Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain have issued a joint statement warning that America’s action has set “an extremely dangerous precedent” for regional security.
Trump justified the raid by invoking the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which designates Latin America as Washington’s sphere of influence, while asserting that the US is now “in charge” of Venezuela. He told reporters that Saturday’s military intervention was not about regime change or resources but securing “peace on Earth,” particularly in the Western Hemisphere. He went on to warn that the US could strike again if Caracas “doesn’t behave.”
Besides Colombia and Venezuela, Trump has also ramped up rhetoric against other countries in the region, claiming Cuba “is ready to fall” due to the loss of Venezuelan oil revenue and threatening Mexico with possible military intervention, saying the country “has to get their act together because [drugs] are pouring through Mexico and we’re going to have to do something.”
