Interior Minister Armando Benedetti came to the defense of President Gustavo Petro following new statements against him by Donald Trump. Although he questioned the US president, he maintained his stance of toning down the confrontation and not returning the attacks.

According to the Interior Minister,"President Trump doesn't know President Petro, the country, or Colombia's geographic location well." He asserted that much of the clash is due to information from third parties seeking to harm the current administration.

"He is being led by some close people who only listen to the Colombian right, which brings a number of unfounded and malicious arguments," asserted Benedetti, who without mentioning him himself, continued along the same lines of pointing to Senator Bernie Moreno as one of the people who had allegedly provided false information to President Trump.

Benedetti also explained President Petro's announcement that"I will defend myself legally with American lawyers in the United States courts against the slanderous statements leveled against me on U.S. soil by high-ranking officials." He asserted that he was in no way referring to Trump's recent statements.

“In the United States there is a way to report someone who makes false accusations, but that tweet was not made at the time Trump is speaking but rather in response to some accusations he has received against him,” he explained.

On the other hand, he questioned the threats to cut aid in the fight against drug trafficking. "That aid is not aid, it's money so that American companies can contract, me with me, so that they can contract in a failed war on drugs," he commented.

Toward the end, he spoke about a possible strategy to ease tensions:"Find a real line that can provide President Trump with information." He noted that beyond asking President Petro for restraint,"we must ask the man who argues with all presidents to tone it down."