Trump called Petro 'sick' and did not rule out a military operation in Colombia

Donald Trump launched what is probably his harshest statement yet against Colombia's leftist president, Gustavo Petro, this Sunday, January 4, 2026. From Air Force One, while he was traveling from Florida to Washington, the U.S. president described the Colombian head of state as "a sick man" and openly questioned his government's anti-drug policy.

The statements were made in a regional context marked by the recent military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and by the White House's decision to move forward with a more active strategy toward Latin American governments aligned with socialism.

"Colombia is very sick," Trump said

Trump was categorical in describing the situation in Colombia. "Venezuela is sick, Colombia is also very sick. Governed by a sick man who likes to produce cocaine and sell it to the United States", he stated to the journalists who were traveling with him.

The U.S. president maintained that the current course of the Colombian government is incompatible with regional security and with the fight against drug trafficking, one of the central pillars of his foreign policy. He also warned that Petro "is not going to be doing it for very long", in allusion to possible political, economic, or even military pressure.

Trump calificó de 'enfermo' a Petro y no descartó una operación militar en Colombia

Trump did not rule out a military operation in Colombia

When he was directly asked about the possibility of a U.S. intervention in Colombia, Trump answered bluntly: "Eh, sounds good to me. Yes." The brief but forceful phrase had a strong political and media impact, making it clear that Washington is evaluating broader scenarios if there is no change in the anti-drug policy of the South American country.

Trump insisted that, under the current Colombian administration, there are "cocaine processors and cocaine factories" that operate with impunity. For the White House, the lack of concrete results in the fight against drug trafficking represents a direct threat to the interests of the United States.

Background and previous warnings

Sunday's statements were not an isolated outburst. On Saturday, January 3, during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump had already accused Petro of allowing the production and export of cocaine to the United States.

In that same event, the U.S. president linked the Colombian case to the attack on the Venezuelan regime and made it clear that his administration will not tolerate governments that, in his view, function as platforms for organized crime.

Maduro comparece ante la Justicia de EE.UU. tras su captura por el Ejército estadounidense

Gustavo Petro's reaction

Minutes before Trump's strong statements, Gustavo Petro had published a lengthy message on the social network X, in which he described the U.S. operation in Venezuela as "aberrant" and accused Washington of violating regional sovereignty.

In a confrontational tone, Petro rejected the personal accusations and denied any link to drug trafficking. He stated that Trump's remarks seek to "punish" his international stance and his opposition to certain U.S. policies.

A hard turn in U.S. regional policy

During his statements, Trump also reaffirmed his view of violence in the region and backed the accusations by Secretary of State Marco Rubio against regimes that are hostile to Washington. "Do you know why? Because they kill a lot of people," he replied when he was asked about Cuba and other governments allied with regional socialism.

The message is clear: after Maduro's capture, the United States is willing to increase political and strategic pressure on the governments that it considers to be functional to drug trafficking and transnational crime. Colombia, under Gustavo Petro's presidency, now appears at the center of this new stage.