Trump doubles down on Colombia crackdown, calls Petro ‘lunatic,’ vows to end all US payments over drugs

President Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on his criticism of Colombia calling its far-left president Gustavo Petro a lunatic and the worst president they ve ever had as he reiterated his vow to cut off all funding to the Latin American country over its cocaine production Trump s incendiary comments came while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One The president announced he was stopping all payments to Colombia because the country was producing drugs rather than fighting them They make drugs they refine drugs they make cocaine they have cocaine factories Trump reported They have no fight against drugs and I m stopping all payments to Colombia because they don t have anything to do with their fight against drugs The president s rhetoric marked a sharper more personal attack on Petro whom he had earlier accused of being an illegal drug leader and encouraging the massive production of narcotics across the country TRUMP ENDS VENEZUELA TALKS MILITARY OPTIONS LOOM NEW REPORTTrump stated that he would announce new tariffs on Monday confirming an X post from Sen Lindsey Graham R-S C who wrote President Trump informed me that he is going to be hitting Colombia not only their drug dealers and traders but also where it hurts in the wallet He will be announcing major Tariffs against the Country of Colombia in the modern day or the coming day In a Truth Social post earlier Sunday Trump warned that Petro better close up drug operations or the United States will close them up for him and it won't be done nicely TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT S VISA OVER ALLEGED RECKLESS AND INCENDIARY ACTIONS Trump reported that Petro had a fresh mouth toward America He complained that drug smuggling continues despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America AS OF THE PRESENT DAY THESE PAYMENTS OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT OR SUBSIDIES WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA he added The heated words come amid escalating tensions between Washington and one of its closest Latin American allies Petro fired back on X saying Trump's asserts distort Colombia's record Trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker Petro wrote He suggested that Trump was being deceived by his advisers described himself as the main enemy of drugs in his country and noted Trump was being rude and ignorant toward Colombia TRUMP UNLEASHES US MILITARY POWER ON CARTELS IS A WIDER WAR LOOMING Colombia's Foreign Ministry accused Trump of threatening the country's sovereignty calling his remarks an illegal intervention Defense Minister Pedro S nchez added that the armed forces have also lost men and women fighting drug trafficking Trump's latest broadside against Petro raises the possibility of an expanding clash in Latin America where the U S has already increased pressure on neighboring Venezuela and its leader Nicol s Maduro U S forces have stepped up counternarcotics operations across the Caribbean deploying ships and surveillance aircraft as part of a broader crackdown on trafficking networks Trump also authorized covert operations inside Venezuela Unlike Venezuela Colombia remains Washington's top regional aid recipient though funding has fallen to roughly million this year well below earlier peaks topping million per U S budget evidence More cuts could affect military cooperation and undermine efforts to fight rebel groups RUBIO SAYS TRUMP 'WANTS TO WAGE WAR' ON VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS 'BLOW THEM UP IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES'But coca cultivation reached an all-time high last year according to the United Nations and there has been fresh violence in rural areas where the regime spent years battling insurgents before reaching a peace deal a decade ago In September the Trump administration accused Colombia of failing to cooperate in the drug war although at the time Washington issued a waiver of sanctions that would have triggered aid cuts Petro Colombia's first leftist president has repeatedly feuded with Trump this year Petro initially rejected U S military flights of deported immigrants leading Trump to threaten tariffs The State Department noted it would revoke Petro's visa when he attended the U N General Assembly in New York because he described American soldiers to disobey Trump's orders Petro and Trump have also been at odds over American strikes on boats in the Caribbean The Colombian president has accused the U S of civilian casualties in maritime drug raids alleging one latest strike killed a Colombian fisherman who supposedly had no ties to drug trafficking There have been seven U S strikes in the region since early September that the administration says are targeting alleged drug traffickers At least people have been killed