Trump accused Petro of leading drug trafficking and announced the complete end of United States aid to Colombia
The decision implies a total breakdown in the relationship between Washington and Bogotá. United States funds—channeled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—financed programs for the eradication of illicit crops, anti-drug operations, and social assistance in rural areas. However, it is clearly exposed that those funds were being used ineffectively, since the crime continued and grew forcefully.
The first American head of state, Donald Trump, made one of his most forceful statements: he accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being "a leader of drug trafficking" and announced the immediate cancellation of all subsidies and cooperation resources that Washington allocated to Colombia for the fight against drugs.
Through his social network Truth Social, Trump stated that Petro "is a leader who strongly encourages the mass production of drugs, in large and small fields, throughout Colombia." According to the American president, the situation has become "the country's biggest business, and Petro doesn'thing to stop it, despite the large-scale payments and subsidies coming from the United States." He finally declared that such aid "is nothing more than a long-term scam for America."
Donald Trump denounced that drug trafficking coming from Colombia is strongly affecting the United States, and its distribution is aimed at harming American citizens: "The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product in the United States, causing death, destruction, and chaos," President Trump said.
For this reason, he ordered the cancellation of the resources sent to Colombia and warned the president to act against drug trafficking if he doesn't want the United States to do it for him. "As of today, these payments, or any other form of subsidy, will no longer be made to Colombia. Petro had better immediately shut down those death fields, or the United States will shut them down for him, and it won't be done kindly," he concluded in his post.
In 2024 alone, Colombia had received more than USD 400 million in resources, making it the most benefited country in Latin America by American cooperation, but unfortunately it failed to take advantage of it.
With this decision, Trump marks a radical shift in American foreign policy toward Latin America. The White House aims to cut funding to governments that, according to Washington, do not fight drug trafficking firmly or maintain ambiguous ties with organized crime.
For Petro, the accusation comes at his worst moment: with record disapproval ratings, internal economic crisis, and loss of military support. The rupture with the United States worsens his international isolation and casts doubt on his ability to sustain anti-drug cooperation without foreign support.
Meanwhile, Trump reinforces his image as a relentless leader against drug trafficking and sends a direct message to the region: American taxpayers' money will no longer finance governments that are complacent with mafias.
