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 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.
