In Colombia, anger and disbelief at Trump threats of U.S. strikes

WASHINGTON— A thoughtless comment by President Trump threatening to attack Colombia, a key U.S. ally, angered his government and confused the public; He was apprehensive and unsure whether to take the US leader seriously.

Trump’s remarks came amid questions from reporters Tuesday about a possible U.S. military action against drug trafficking networks in Latin America. The president said the mission could expand beyond Venezuela, the main target of emerging U.S. war plans.

“I heard that Colombia, Colombia’s country, produces cocaine,” Trump said at the cabinet meeting. “Then they sell us their cocaine. We appreciate it very much, but yes, anyone who does this and sells it to our country will be subject to attack. Not just Venezuela.”

Colombia’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, who has repeatedly clashed with the White House, likened Trump’s belligerent rhetoric to declaration of war.

Petro wrote to X: “Do not threaten our sovereignty, because you will wake up Jaguar.” “Attacking our sovereignty is declaring war; do not damage two centuries of diplomatic relations.”

In an official statement, Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on “sister” nations in Latin America and the Caribbean to reject “any attempt at foreign intervention aimed at weakening sovereignty.”

Trump’s latest threat comes at a time when relations are deteriorating with Bogota, which just three years ago celebrated the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Washington and has been singled out by President Biden as an important non-NATO ally with a status appreciated by all parties on Capitol Hill.

Petro’s election that year set off a shift, with U.S. aid reduced in 2024 due to Petro’s drug policies and stopped altogether by the Trump administration at the beginning of this year. The Treasury Department labeled Petro an “illegal drug dealer” in October and imposed sanctions on him and his family.

Evan Ellis, who helped plan Trump’s early State Department policy on Latin America, the Caribbean and international narcotics, told The Times that the possibility of an attack on Colombia is low but not as remote as the possibility of a U.S. attack on Mexico, which has greater economic clout and whose government is more successful in diplomacy with Washington.

“There is a strong hope that this is just fuss; given that Colombia has a sovereign government that the United States recognizes and has long worked with, it would seem that this would be disastrous for the relationship,” Ellis said. “There’s a mix of concern and confusion, but there’s also hope that this is just part of the president’s style.”

Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau both have deep knowledge of the region and are said to be defending against military attacks on U.S. allies. But Petro’s insults towards Trump, calling him “ignorant”, “extremely rude” and “against humanity”, irritated a US president accustomed to his sycophantic praise.

“In a way, despite the close military relationship and everything at stake, you have a president who is at best imprudent,” Ellis said of Petro. “Making shrill and challenging statements against Trump is a clear way to get on his bad side.”

United Nations figures show that the cultivation of cocaine (the raw material for cocaine) in Colombia has reached record levels in recent years; This is driven by increasing demand for cocaine, not only in the US but also in Europe and elsewhere.

Although U.S.-Venezuelan relations have been strained for more than a quarter-century, Colombia has long been considered a staunch ally and receives billions of dollars in aid from Washington for anti-drug campaigns. The alliance has survived despite major civil strife in Colombia and the country’s status as the world’s top producer and exporter of cocaine.

For many Colombians processing the news Wednesday, the specter of a U.S. military strike seemed incomprehensible.

“A few years ago we could never have imagined that Colombia would be under threat of attack on its territory,” said Sebastián Bitar, an analyst at the University of the Andes. “We relied on the solid relationship between the United States and Colombia.”

Panamanian politician Guillermo Cochez, who serves as his country’s ambassador to the Organization of American States, believes Trump’s threat to Colombia amounts to fuss and points to the close ties between the US Southern Command and the Colombian military. “The most Americanized army in Latin America is the Colombian army,” Cochez told The Times.

“The US will not do anything in Colombia because they need to solve Venezuela first. That will happen in the next phase,” Cochez said.

“Petro has a lot of problems in Colombia that the American government knows about,” Cochez added. “This is distracting Donald Trump. He’s trying to use his fight with Trump to gain some respect in Colombia.”

The armed forces of the two countries have been cooperating for years, conducting joint training exercises and counter-narcotics operations. Colombian newspaper El Heraldo wrote in an editorial that a unilateral attack could upend this relationship, warning that a US strike “could lead to an unprecedented regional response involving internally displaced persons.” [civilians]reprisals by various actors, border crises and new diasporas.”

In Latin America, Trump’s gunfire alarmed many – especially those on the left; This reflects the region’s historical wariness of US intervention.

Argentinian left-wing lawyer and analyst Alejandro Rusconi called Trump’s statements “another indicator of the aggressive escalation of the US government against the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

But many local analysts warned that Colombia should take Trump’s threat into account and take the necessary steps to prevent a direct conflict.

“This is not the time to provoke the United States,” economist Mauricio Reina told Red Más Noticias, a Colombian publication.

“When it comes to Donald Trump, it is necessary to fly low, avoiding the radar,” he added.