U.S. President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Colombia on Sunday, suggesting military intervention against the South American nation while making unsubstantiated claims about President Gustavo Petro's alleged involvement in drug production. The remarks came during an impromptu press briefing aboard Air Force One as Trump returned from a weekend trip.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He's not going to be doing it for very long," Trump stated regarding Petro, without providing evidence. When pressed about potential U.S. military operations, the president responded: "It sounds good to me."
Colombian officials swiftly condemned the comments, with Petro calling for an emergency Organization of American States meeting this past Saturday to address what he called "reckless threats undermining regional stability." The dispute comes amid heightened cross-border tensions with Venezuela, which shares a 1,378-mile frontier with Colombia.
This confrontation follows Trump's December 2025 interview with Politico where he first floated expanded military operations against drug trafficking networks in multiple Latin American countries. Political analysts warn the rhetoric could destabilize Washington's relationships in a region where China has been expanding economic ties through infrastructure investments.
