Alexandar Sullivan:
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States will halt all financial aid and subsidies to Colombia, after publicly accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of enabling large-scale drug production.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called Petro an “illegal drug leader” and claimed Colombia had turned into a “rip-off” for American taxpayers. “AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS… WILL NO LONGER BE MADE,” he wrote, accusing Petro of allowing widespread cocaine production for export to the U.S.
The announcement followed Petro’s accusations that a U.S. strike in the Caribbean on September 16 killed Alejandro Carranza, a Colombian fisherman. Petro denounced the attack as a violation of sovereignty and demanded international legal action.
U.S. officials maintain the strikes are part of a broader campaign targeting drug traffickers. The most recent strike was the sixth since early September, reportedly killing at least 29 people.
Last month, the Trump administration placed Colombia on a list of countries failing to meet anti-narcotics obligations, citing record highs in coca cultivation. A waiver had initially preserved U.S. aid, but Sunday’s statement appears to override it.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, has sharply criticized U.S. foreign policy and recently urged American soldiers to defy unlawful orders. His remarks, along with a pro-Palestinian protest appearance, led the State Department to revoke his visa.
Tensions between Washington and Bogotá are now at their highest in years, with Trump warning that if Petro does not shut down drug operations, “the United States will close them up for him — and it won’t be done nicely.”
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