Colombian president dismisses Trump’s threats, says “stop slandering me”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday rejected threats from his US counterpart Donald Trump, who also accused him of involvement in drug trafficking.

In the early hours of Saturday, US forces launched an attack on Caracas, striking military targets in a surprise raid aimed at removing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power and asserting Washington’s control over the oil-rich South American nation.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump extended similar threats toward Colombia, describing the country as “very sick” and alleging it was “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

“He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and won’t be doing it very long,” Trump added.

When asked whether Colombia could face military intervention similar to Venezuela, the Republican leader replied: “It sounds good to me,” claiming without evidence that “they kill a lot of people.”

Petro firmly rejected the accusations, saying his “name does not appear in court records.”

“Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump,” Petro wrote on social media platform X.

“That is not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from armed struggle and from the Colombian people’s fight for peace,” he added.

Petro has strongly criticised the Trump administration’s military actions in the region, accusing Washington of abducting Maduro “without legal basis.” In a later post on Sunday, he added: “Friends do not bomb.”

Colombia’s foreign ministry also condemned Trump’s remarks, calling them “unacceptable interference” and demanding “respect.”

Although Colombia and the United States are key military and economic allies, bilateral relations have become strained. Since the start of Trump’s second term, the two leaders have frequently clashed over issues including tariffs and migration policy.