“One Day, Over A Glass Of Whiskey…”: Colombia President Targets Trump

US President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro traded barbs earlier right this moment after Bogota blocked two deportation flights carrying Colombian migrants again to the Latin American nation. Whereas Trump cracked down with sanctions towards Colombia, Petro responded in form and mentioned the US “won’t ever rule us”.

The White Home later mentioned the Trump administration suspended the sanctions after Colombia agreed to its phrases. Colombian International Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo mentioned Bogota will proceed receiving Colombians who return as deportees. Colombia has backed down, for now, however its blocking of the flights and Petro’s sharp assault on Trump sign the start of a rocky relationship between the 2 governments. 

Why Petro Blocked Deportation Flights

Trump has come to energy on the promise of deporting unlawful migrants swiftly. As he tries to place the plan into motion, he’s dealing with resistance from the US’ Latin American neighbours, who’ve questioned the therapy of the migrants.

Petro, a Left chief elected Colombian President in 2022, has mentioned the US “can’t deal with Colombian migrants as criminals”. His authorities mentioned it was able to ship its presidential aircraft to the US to move the migrants “with dignity”. After the US army planes have been despatched again, Petro mentioned he was prepared to permit civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land so long as these aboard weren’t handled “like criminals”. He mentioned over 15,000 undocumented Individuals live in his nation, however dominated out raids to arrest and deport them. As an alternative, he urged them to “regularise their state of affairs”.

The Colombian President has confronted resistance at dwelling for his pushback towards the Trump administration. Former right-wing president Ivan Duque has accused Petro of “an act of large irresponsibility”. Duque has mentioned it was Colombia’s “ethical responsibility” to take again unlawful migrants and warned that US sanctions would take an “huge” toll on the nation.

I used to be simply knowledgeable that two repatriation flights from the USA, with a lot of Unlawful Criminals, weren’t allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who’s already very unpopular amongst his individuals.…

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Reality Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 26, 2025

Trump’s All-Out Assault On Petro

On his TruthSocial platform, Trump mentioned he had been knowledgeable that two repatriation flights with a lot of “unlawful criminals” weren’t allowed to land in Colombia. “This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who’s already very unpopular amongst his individuals,” he mentioned. He mentioned Petro’s transfer had jeopardised US’ nationwide safety and public security and introduced “pressing and decisive retaliatory measures”. Washington DC imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all items coming into US from Colombia. This tariff could be raised to 50 per cent in every week. It additionally introduced a journey ban and instant visa revocations on Colombian authorities officers, allies and supporters. The US additionally introduced visa sanctions on all occasion members, relations, and supporters of the Colombian authorities.

Trump requested the administration to impose enhanced customs and border safety inspections of all Colombian nationals and cargo on nationwide safety grounds, moreover banking and monetary sanctions.

“These measures are just the start. We is not going to permit the Colombian authorities to violate its authorized obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they pressured into the USA,” he added.

Trump, a mi no me gusta mucho viajar a los EEUU, es un poco aburridor, pero confieso que hay cosas meritorias, me gusta ir a los barrios negros de Washington, allí ví una lucha entera en la capital de los EEUU entre negros y latinos con barricadas, que me pareció una pendejada,…

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 26, 2025

Petro’s Sharp Response

Hours after Trump’s TruthSocial put up, Petro wrote an extended response on X, beginning with “I do not like travelling to the US, it’s kind of boring.” Petro wrote that Trump goes to “wipe out the human species due to greed”. “Perhaps in the future, over a glass of whiskey, which I settle for, regardless of my gastritis, we will discuss frankly about this, nevertheless it’s troublesome since you take into account me an inferior race and I am not, neither is any Colombian. So if you understand somebody who’s cussed, that is me, interval,” he mentioned.

Petro dared Trump to hold out a coup to unseat him. “You may attempt to perform a coup together with your financial energy and your conceitedness, like they did with (former Chilean President Salvador) Allende. However I’ll die in my legislation, I resisted torture and I resist you. I do not need slavers subsequent to Colombia, we already had many and we freed ourselves. What I need subsequent to Colombia are lovers of freedom.”

The Colombian President’s Marquez Reference

In his response to Trump, Petro says Colombia is the “coronary heart of the world” and the “land of the yellow butterflies”. He then describes the nation because the land of the “fantastic thing about Remedios and likewise of the colonels Aureliano Buendia, of which I’m one, maybe the final”. Remedios and Colonel Aureliano Buendia are characters from Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, which was just lately made right into a Netflix collection. Remedios is probably the most stunning girl in Macondo, the fictional city that serves because the novel’s setting. Colonel Buendia, however, is its protagonist. A revolutionary chief, the Colonel whose life and battles are intertwined with Macondo’s journey from a tiny settlement to a bustling city.

Moreover literature, Petro delves deep into Colombian historical past to hit again at Trump, additionally referring to its first President Simon Bolivar and the US’ battle towards slavery. “You do not like our freedom, okay. I do not shake fingers with white slavers,” he says, and provides, “You’ll by no means rule us.”