Colombian President Gustavo Petro has declared that he would “take up arms” to defend his country if faced with foreign aggression, in the wake of threats from the United States. Petro’s comments come days after US forces detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a move widely condemned as illegal under international law.
On Monday, Petro posted a message on X that appeared to directly challenge US President Donald Trump.
“Come get me. I’m waiting for you here.”
Gustavo Petro Responds to US Military Threats
Gustavo Petro, a former leftist guerrilla fighter, warned that any violent US intervention in Colombia, similar to the operation in Venezuela, would be met with resistance.
“I swore not to touch a weapon again,” Petro said. “But for the homeland, I will take up arms again.”
The Colombian president has been an outspoken critic of Trump, who in recent days has escalated his rhetoric against Petro’s government, citing alleged drug trafficking concerns.
Donald Trump Warns Colombia’s Gustavo Petro
Over the weekend, Trump issued a warning to Gustavo Petro following the Maduro operation, telling reporters that a similar action against Colombia “sounds good to me.” He referred to Petro as running a “very sick” country and accused him of being involved in cocaine production and trafficking to the US.
“Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.
In response, Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the remarks, calling them “an undue interference in the internal affairs of the country, against the norms of international law.”
Gustavo Petro Denies Drug Trafficking Allegations
Trump’s accusations of Gustavo Petro facilitating drug trafficking have no evidence, according to experts, and are strongly denied by the Colombian president. Petro emphasized that his administration has been combating drug production while moving away from the militarized strategies of the past.
“I have enormous trust in my people,” Petro said. “And that is why I have asked the people to defend the president from any illegitimate violent act against him.”
Colombia: World’s Largest Cocaine Producer
Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, but the narcotics trade is dominated by illegal armed groups such as the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN), and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Most FARC members demobilized under a 2016 peace deal, and there is no evidence that Petro is involved in drug trafficking.
Relations between the US and Colombia, traditionally close partners in counter-narcotics efforts, have deteriorated sharply under Trump’s threats. Many right-wing opposition leaders in Colombia have aligned with Trump’s stance, but voices across the political spectrum have rejected the idea of a US attack.
In recent months, the US took several punitive actions against Gustavo Petro. In September, it revoked Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to refuse illegal orders.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
