On October 22, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, launched strong epithets against the Colombian President Gustavo Petro amid the diplomatic tension between the two countries.
The US president said at a press conference in the Oval Office that his Colombian counterpart is a"thug and a bad guy" and accused him of manufacturing "a lot of drugs," days after accusing him of being a "drug trafficking leader."
"They have cocaine factories. They grow all kinds of crap, and the bad drugs that come into the United States usually go through Mexico, and (Petro) better watch out, or we will take very serious action against him and his country. (Petro) has led his country into a death trap," said Donald Trump.
This Wednesday, the President of the United States confirmed that his country had suspended all payments to Colombia. With the US president's statements, tensions between the two countries continue to rise. Last weekend, Trump had stated that Colombia"is out of control."
" Their cocaine production has reached historic levels and the person responsible is a lunatic named Petro, the worst president they've ever had," the president said from his residence in Florida.
These comments are compounded by the most recent U.S. attack on a vessel, apparently registered off Colombian territory.
Gustavo Petro responds to Trump's accusations
President Gustavo Petro reacted just minutes after learning of the strong accusations on his X account and stated that he will defend himself against the comments in court.
"I will defend myself legally with American lawyers in the American courts against the slander that has been hurled at me on U.S. soil by high-ranking officials," the president said.
Petro also maintained that he will "always" be against "genocides and assassinations of power in the Caribbean." The president noted that when American society requires Colombia's help to fight drug trafficking, it will be there.
"We will fight drug traffickers with the states that want our help," the head of state stated.
On Tuesday night, the U.S. military bombed a ship as part of its offensive strategy against drug trafficking. What's unique about this case is that the attack took place in the Pacific Ocean and, according to CBS News, off the coast of Colombia.
The attack left a death toll of two to three, according to a US official who spoke to the outlet.
“Yesterday, at President Trump’s direction, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization engaged in narcotics trafficking in the Eastern Pacific,” confirmed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
The record of this attack is unprecedented in the United States' anti-drug campaign. Since September 2, when Trump gave the green light to the offensive, U.S. Special Operations Forces have carried out eight attacks against suspected drug trafficking vessels. The difference is that all of them had been recorded in the Caribbean, near the Venezuelan coast.
On September 16, the United States stated that a boat—allegedly belonging to the ELN—was attacked by its troops in the Caribbean Sea. This comes amid direct offensive actions against transnational drug trafficking networks to prevent drugs from reaching the United States.
Hours later, President Petro confirmed that the vessel was Colombian and was apparently still in national waters."The person who was there was a lifelong fisherman: Alejandro Carranza," he said in a tweet.
