Monday 05 / January / 2026
Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump ignited controversy after making sharp and unprecedented remarks about Colombia during a brief exchange with reporters. The statements, delivered without elaboration or policy detail, raised concerns about the tone and direction of U.S. rhetoric toward one of its long-standing allies in Latin America.
During the exchange, Trump claimed that Colombia is "run by a sick man" and added that its current leadership "won't be doing it for very long." When a reporter followed up by asking whether this suggested a potential U.S. operation in Colombia, Trump responded, "Sounds good to me." Though brief, the comment immediately fueled speculation about possible intervention and prompted widespread criticism.
Colombia has historically been a close partner of the United States, particularly in areas such as counter-narcotics operations, regional security, and economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, Colombia President Gustavo Petro has called on Latin America to unite in the face of agression shown by the United States.
"The USA is the first country in the world to bomb a South American capital in all of human history. Neither Netanyahu did it, nor Hitler nor Franco nor Salazar. What a terrible medal that is because for generations South Americans will not forget. The wound remains open for a long time; our revenge must not exist, even though our Latin ancestors always whisper to us in our minds about "Vendetta."
The young men from the popular neighborhoods let themselves be dominated by those feelings and end up killing each other over a woman or over nonsense; with Vendetta, revolutions are not made, and that's why true revolutionaries do not think about vendettas. Revenge kills the heart; bandits kill each other over vendettas," he posted on X
"But business partners must change, and Latin America must unite or it will be treated as a servant and slave and not as the vital center of the world. A Latin America with the capacity to understand, trade, and join together with the whole world. We do not look only to the north but in all directions. The alliance with China and Russia did not work; Lula, our alliance above all else must be the same Latin America today bombed. Gather presidents. CELAC today does not serve us because of its rule of absolute consensus; there is no shortage of the president who prefers to continue as a slave to foreign governments, they long to kneel before the king. But the first South American capital bombed, like the Hitlerian bombing of Guernica, cannot be forgotten. Friends do not bomb," he added.
Meanwhile, Trump continued his tirade this time taking aim at another Latin American nation-Cuba. In his gaggle on board Air Force One, Trump claimed that an operation in Cuba similar to the one in Venezuela would not be necessary given its poor economic state.
Trump said "Cuba seems to be on the verge of collapse. I don't know how they're going to be able to stay afloat; they have no income. They received all their income from Venezuela, from Venezuelan oil."
