Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned he would “take up arms again” to defend his country after US President Donald Trump threatened him and insulted his government following a US regime-change strike in Venezuela.
Petro rejected US claims linking his administration to drug trafficking, highlighting major cocaine seizures, reduced coca cultivation, and voluntary crop substitution efforts under his government.
The dispute reflects growing strain between Washington and Bogotá, as Petro criticizes expanding US military actions in the Caribbean and Venezuela since Trump’s return to office.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has issued a defiant response to US President Donald Trump after Washington’s military operation in neighboring Venezuela and Trump’s personal threats against him, escalating tensions between the two countries.
Petro, Colombia’s first-ever leftist president and a former guerrilla who laid down arms decades ago, said he would be willing to “take up arms again” if the United States follows through on what he described as threats against Colombia’s sovereignty.
“I swore not to touch a weapon again… but for the homeland I will take up arms again,” Petro wrote on X, according to a report by news agency AFP. He added that Colombia would “unleash the jaguar” in defense of its dignity and independence.
The remarks came after Trump warned Petro to “watch his ass” over the weekend and described him as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” Trump’s comments followed a dramatic escalation in US action against Venezuela, culminating in a regime-change strike in Caracas on Saturday that led to the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has for years accused Maduro, his wife, and senior Venezuelan officials of narco-terrorism. Similar allegations have now been leveled against Petro’s government, which Bogotá has strongly rejected.
In a series of posts on X, Petro defended Colombia’s anti-narcotics record, citing what he said was the world’s largest cocaine seizure under his administration, a reduction in coca crop expansion, and a voluntary crop substitution program covering around 30,000 hectares. He said Colombian security forces had targeted major drug trafficking hubs and armed groups while complying with humanitarian law.
Petro also criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing him of misrepresenting Colombia’s constitutional framework. He emphasized that under Colombian law, the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces and police.
A former member of the M-19 urban guerrilla movement, Petro disarmed under a 1989 peace agreement and later entered democratic politics, eventually becoming one of Latin America’s most prominent leftist leaders. Since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, the two leaders have repeatedly exchanged sharp rhetoric.
Petro has been a vocal critic of the expanding US military presence in the Caribbean, which initially involved the destruction of alleged drug-trafficking boats, followed by the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers, and most recently the raid on Caracas.
The latest exchange underscores growing regional unease over Washington’s military posture and raises concerns about a broader diplomatic fallout in Latin America following the US intervention in Venezuela.
