Trump and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro clash over drug accusations and sanctions

Tensions between US president Donald Trump and Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro have escalated after Trump accused Petro of flooding US streets with illegal drugs, imposed sanctions on him and his wife, and threatened military action — then spoke with Petro by phone for an hour in a call the Colombian foreign ministry characterised as "a good meeting".

Trump posted on Truth Social that it was an "honour" to speak to Petro and said he had invited the Colombian president to the White House. The spat dates back to early 2025, when Petro refused US military planes transporting deported Colombians and Trump responded with a 25% tariff on Colombian goods and visa revocations before later dropping the tariffs.

In September the US "decertified" Colombia for not doing enough on illegal drugs but allowed aid to continue via a waiver; the United States also revoked Petro's US visa after he addressed a New York rally, and in October placed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife, his son and the interior minister for what the treasury department claimed was "their involvement in the global illicit drug trade".

Analysts note parallels with the confrontation between the US and Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro but stress differences: Petro's 2022 election has not been questioned and he faces no US criminal charges, while Maduro was indicted.

Key Topics

World, Gustavo Petro, Donald Trump, Colombia, Sanctions, Drug Trafficking