Trump confirms US-Colombia talks at White House
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Arrangements are being made for U.S. and Colombian representatives to meet at the White House, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Colombian President Gustavo Petro “called to clarify the status of drug and other disputes” between the two countries, adding that the two leaders are expected to meet in the near future.
“It was a great honor to speak with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the drug situation and other conflicts we are having,” Trump wrote. “I appreciated his appeal and tone and look forward to meeting him in the near future.”
Trump stated that the arrangements were also coordinated between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Colombian foreign minister, and added that the meeting would take place at the White House.
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President Donald Trump announced plans to meet with Colombia amid concerns about drug trafficking. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
The announcement came after Trump issued a warning to Colombia’s president over the weekend following a US military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
“Colombia is also very sick, it’s run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States. And he’s not going to be able to do that for a very long time. Let me tell you this,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
When asked to clarify his remarks by a reporter, Trump claimed the Petro was “cocaine mills and cocaine factories.”
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President Trump said the military action in Colombia was “good” for him. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
When asked if the US would conduct an operation in Colombia, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”
On Monday, Petro responded to Trump’s comments, saying he would “take up arms” against the United States if it attacked his country.
“Even though I am not a soldier, I know about war and secrecy,” Petro wrote in a post translated from Spanish to English on X. “Since the 1989 Peace Pact, I have sworn that I will never touch a weapon again, but I will embrace the weapons I do not want for the sake of the Homeland again.”
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Trump claimed Petro was a “sick man” with ties to drug trafficking. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
Petro also denied Trump’s allegations that he was involved in drug trafficking.
“I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narc,” he wrote. “All I have is my family home, which I pay with my salary. My bank statements have been published. No one can say that I spend more than my salary. I am not greedy.”
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Petro, a former member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla movement who was demobilized in the early 1990s, condemned US strikes in the region, which he said targeted ships suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan and Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
