Colombian President Gustavo Petro has warned that he is prepared to take up arms again if US President Donald Trump follows through on threats made after Washington’s regime-change military operation in neighbouring Venezuela.
“I swore not to touch a weapon again… but for the homeland I will take up arms again,” Petro said in a post on X, according to news agency AFP.
Escalating War of Words With Trump
Petro’s remarks came after Trump issued a personal warning to the Colombian leader over the weekend, telling him to “watch his ass” and describing Colombia’s first leftist president as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States”.
The Trump administration has long accused regional leaders, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, of narco-terrorism. Similar allegations preceded the US military operation that led to Maduro’s capture last Saturday.
Petro Defends Colombia’s Anti-Drug Record
Responding to the accusations, Petro defended his government’s record on narcotics enforcement, citing major cocaine seizures, reduced coca cultivation and expanded crop substitution programmes.
In a detailed post on X, Petro said Colombia had overseen what he described as the world’s largest cocaine seizure, curbed the expansion of coca crops, and implemented a voluntary substitution programme covering around 30,000 hectares.
He added that security forces had targeted major trafficking routes and armed groups while operating within the bounds of humanitarian law.
Criticism of US Officials and Military Strategy
Petro also criticised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing him of misrepresenting Colombia’s constitutional structure. He stressed that, under Colombian law, the president serves as the supreme commander of the armed forces and police.
Warning against indiscriminate military action, Petro wrote that bombing armed groups without reliable intelligence could result in civilian casualties. “If you bomb peasants, thousands will turn into guerrillas in the mountains,” he said, adding that detaining a popular leader could trigger mass unrest.
From Guerrilla to President
Petro, a former member of the M-19 urban guerrilla movement, laid down arms under a 1989 peace agreement before entering politics. He has clashed repeatedly with Trump since the Republican leader returned to the White House in January 2025.
The Colombian president has been a vocal critic of US military deployments in the Caribbean, which began with operations against suspected drug boats, expanded to the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers, and culminated in Saturday’s raid on Caracas.
Sanctions and Diplomatic Fallout
Trump has accused Petro, without presenting evidence, of involvement in drug trafficking and imposed financial sanctions on him and his family. Washington has also removed Colombia from its list of countries certified as allies in the US-led war on drugs.
Petro said Colombia’s anti-narcotics strategy remains firm but cautioned that excessive military force could destabilise the region.
The Trump administration has cultivated close ties with Colombia’s right-wing opposition, which is seeking to make electoral gains in upcoming legislative and presidential polls later this year.
