President Donald Trump delivered a sharp warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro while speaking with reporters early Saturday, as he detailed the dramatic U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
During the briefing, Trump was asked about remarks he made late last year criticizing Petro over drug trafficking concerns. In response, the president reiterated his stance and issued a blunt caution, saying Petro needs to “watch his a**.”
Trump expanded on his comments, accusing Colombia’s leadership of facilitating narcotics production and trafficking into the United States. “Well, he has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine, and yeah, I think I stick by my first statement. He’s making cocaine. They’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**,” Trump said.
The exchange echoed comments Trump made on December 22 at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he hosted reporters to announce plans for a new U.S. naval battleship. During that event, Trump was questioned about statements from Petro claiming that Texas, California, and other parts of the southern United States were “invaded” territories — remarks that further strained diplomatic relations between Washington and Bogotá.
“He has to watch [it] because he has drug factories,” Trump said at the time. “They make cocaine in Colombia. “He’s no friend of the United States. He’s a very bad guy, and he’s got to watch his a** because he makes cocaine, and they send it into the United States of America from Colombia.”
Despite his harsh criticism of Colombia’s leadership, Trump emphasized that his comments were not directed at the Colombian people. The rhetoric escalated further on Sunday, when Trump suggested the possibility of U.S. military action against Colombia’s government. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president appeared to endorse the idea.
“Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said, referring to Petro.
Asked directly whether the United States would pursue a military operation against Colombia, Trump responded, “It sounds good to me.” Trump’s remarks came in the wake of a high-profile U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was seized in what officials described as an audacious raid and transported to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.
Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former Trump defense official Robert Wilkie told Newsmax on Saturday that the apparent collapse of Maduro’s regime could have far-reaching consequences across the region. Actions in Venezuela could trigger a chain reaction throughout the Western Hemisphere, stabilizing governments and potentially reversing mass migration flows into the United States.