The Republican announced a series of measures such as the cancellation of any type of subsidy, the possibility of an increase in tariffs, as well as an eventual intervention against drug production fields.
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“Petro, an unrecognized and very unpopular leader, with a fresh attitude towards the United States, should close these death camps immediately, or the United States will close them to him”Trump indicated, in this new threat that is reminiscent of the impasse they experienced in January of this year when Trump announced the imposition of 25% tariffs.
At that time, the disagreement arose after Petro prevented the entry of two United States military planes with deported Colombian citizens. The announcement was made at 3 am, on behalf of
On this occasion, again through social networks, throughout Monday President Gustavo Petro dedicated several publications to respond to Trump, blaming drug trafficking on the high consumption of cocaine in the United States and Europe. “Colombia actually provides the money and the dead in the fight, the US provides consumption”indicated the South American president about the work his government does against drug traffickers.
Unlike what happened in January, for international analyst Francisco Belaunde this time “It will not be so easy to redirect relations between Colombia and the United States”.
“Here the responsibility, in reality, lies above all with Petro because the one who loses the most is Colombia. The United States not so much. There it is absolutely rejectable. Petro had to react as a statesman. You can criticize, you always find ways to say things, diplomacy offers a field where you can say things between the lines.”explained in communication with The Commerce.
And Trump’s reaction would respond to the call that Petro made during the United Nations assembly for the United States army to disobey the Republican. Furthermore, the Colombian has criticized the US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea.
Gustavo Petro assured that his government has seized several tons of drugs.
Gustavo Petro has criticized United States operations in the Caribbean Sea, bombing boats.
Along the same lines, analyst Rafael Piñeros Ayala indicated that the last impasse “It is a sum of events that took place and it is difficult to know if it will be the last… I don’t think so”. Furthermore, it is a reflection of the bad relationship between President Trump and President Petro, who have clashed strongly through social networks.
“I think that the personal is transferred to the media without for the moment there being consequences beyond that. “It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t generate tension or worry.”indicated the professor at the Externado de Colombia University.
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From the official side, the Colombian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Colombian ambassador to the United States, Daniel García-Peña. He has also rejected the “direct threat against national sovereignty” for which he announced that he will go to all international bodies. In a statement, he considered that “a direct threat to national sovereignty was being made by posing an illegal intervention in Colombian territory.”
Meanwhile, from the United States, President Trump’s economic advisor, Kevin Hassett, clarified that the White House does not currently plan to announce an increase in tariffs on Colombia. “We’ll see. For now, there is no announcement planned,” he told the press. Currently, Colombia pays 10% tariffs, as do many countries in the world.
The economic blow to Colombia
Beyond the personal confrontation between Petro and Trump, in the middle is the Colombian population that has not seen this new impasse favorably.
The National Association of Businessmen of Colombia (ANDI) has requested that dialogue be resumed “through official channels and between governments”, since both presidents are in the habit of using social networks to show their opinions or announcements.
The EFE agency also pointed out that the manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC), Germán Alberto Bahamón, considered that “the interests of a country must be above personal ideology.”
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The situation is not easy for Colombia, since the United States is its main trading partner, with which it has had a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) since 2012.
Besides…
Colombian products at risk
According to the newspaper The Timefrom Colombia, the suspension announced by Trump could include close to 200 million dollars in cooperation that were planned for 2026, in the fund to fight drug trafficking. Besides, At least 30% of Colombian exports (including flowers, clothing and other agricultural products) are destined for the United States.
While it is true that Trump’s economic threats can have an impact in Colombia, the magnitude cannot yet be known, says Piñeros Ayala. “Each of the Trump administration’s announcements have come with extensions or certain exceptions that do not allow us to clearly understand whether it is a universal tariff, a higher tariff, or whether it affects certain sectors.”he explained.
Even so, the productive fields that generate the most concern in the South American country are “coffee, flowers, avocado, jasmine, tropical fruits that are moving very well and food products”.
Is Petro a drug trafficking leader?
“If I am not a businessman, much less a drug trafficker, there is no greed in my heart,” Petro said on his X account, in response to Trump.
He described himself as a socialist and assured that his government has stopped the expansion of coca leaf crops, they only grew by 3% in 2024, and half of the crops have been abandoned for three years. In addition, 2,800 tons of cocaine have been seized. He has even proposed to Trump to remove tariffs on agricultural and agro-industrial production.
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Former Colombian presidents Álvaro Uribe and Andrés Pastrana asked Petro to clarify his relationship with the “head of the Suns cartel, Nicolás Maduro.” Although the United States has designated the Suns cartel as a terrorist organization, Petro has denied that such an organization exists.
In the joint statement, both Colombian politicians called for “serenity, prudence and national sense, above selfishness, in the management of this crisis.”
For analyst Francisco Belaunde, “calling him a leader of drug trafficking is absurd.” He pointed out that Trump “is a person who goes off on his mouth and, when he wants to attack someone, says atrocities.” What it would reflect is that he is upset with Petro.
Piñeros Ayala has a similar position. “President Trump was rude since there is no evidence that allows us to identify that President Gustavo Petro is a drug trafficker or has any investigation into drug trafficking.”he told this newspaper. Trump’s qualifier would be more of a speculation.
Will the United States and Colombia be able to overcome this difficult moment that their presidents have put them in?
