Trump Didn’t Hold Back When Sending This Message to a Foreign Leader
President Donald Trump on Sunday publicly blasted Colombian President Gustavo Petro and announced the United States will stop payments and subsidies to Colombia. The move escalates a fraught relationship between the two leaders and puts economic pressure on Bogotá to address drug production feeding U.S. demand.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called out Petro directly and labeled him “an illegal drug leader strongly encourage the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia.” That line set the tone for a broader warning that U.S. taxpayer money won’t bankroll policies that fail to stop narcotics headed to American streets.
Trump argued the drug trade “has become the biggest business in Colombia” and said Petro “does nothing to stop it,” adding that large U.S. payments and subsidies have been “nothing more than a long term rip off of America.” The president framed the decision as a simple use of leverage: aid in exchange for concrete results on drug production and trafficking.
AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA. The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc. Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President Donald J. Trump
The relationship had already been rocky, and the State Department moved to revoke Petro’s U.S. visa after a September episode in New York City. Officials said Petro “stood on a NYC street and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence.”
Earlier this year the two clashed when Petro refused to allow U.S. deportation flights to land in Colombia, forcing a diplomatic standoff. Petro reversed course quickly after Trump warned of tariffs and visa bans that would have hit Colombia’s economy hard.
Colombia’s cocaine output reached historic highs in 2023, jumping roughly 53 percent year over year, according to official tallies. Analysts point to several drivers for the surge, including armed groups that control large territories and a central government that has struggled to assert authority in those zones.
With U.S. funding now halted, Bogotá faces an immediate fiscal and political incentive to clamp down on coca cultivation and trafficking networks. Whether Petro’s administration takes decisive action will depend on its capacity to confront armed groups and mobilize effective counternarcotics operations.
The Trump administration has also moved beyond diplomatic pressure and into kinetic measures aimed at stopping shipments before they reach the U.S. coast. The president authorized airstrikes against boats suspected of ferrying narcotics from Venezuela, actions that U.S. officials say have resulted in 27 fatalities so far.
From a Republican standpoint, cutting subsidies and using military force are straightforward tools to protect American communities from the scourge of drugs. This approach prioritizes results: stop the flow of narcotics, disrupt the criminal networks, and hold foreign leaders accountable when they fail to act.
The immediate test will be whether economic pressure and heightened enforcement prompt real reductions in production and trafficking. Petro now faces domestic backlash and international scrutiny, and his response in the coming weeks will reveal whether Washington’s tougher posture yields concrete change.
