President Trump escalated tensions with Colombia on Sunday, publicly labeling President Gustavo Petro an "illegal drug leader" and announcing he's ending aid to the country. Petro had suggested the death of a Colombian fisherman in a recent strike in the Caribbean was murder, claiming it was a fishing vessel that was targeted rather than a drug-smuggling boat. He described the attack as an invasion of Colombian territory, CBS News reports, and criticized the Trump administration's broader campaign of strikes in the region.
"Alejandro Carranza had no ties to the drug trade and his daily activity was fishing," Petro had posted, per the Hill. On Truth Social, Trump accused Petro of overseeing widespread drug production and doing little to stop it, despite what he described as significant US payments and subsidies. "As of today," Trump wrote in all caps, "these payments, or any other form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made to Columbia." He said that if Petro does not act against drug production, the US will intervene more forcefully.
Petro responded on X that he has been a staunch opponent of drug trafficking and dismissed Trump's comments as "rude and ignorant." Although the US strikes have been focused on those the administration calls Venezuelan drug runners, people from other countries also have been killed or wounded, per the New York Times. US figures show that in the budget year that ended on Sept. 30, Colombia received an estimated $230 million; aid in other recent years had topped $700 million, per the AP. The Trump administration recently placed Colombia on a list of countries it considers to be failing in anti-drug efforts, citing record levels of coca cultivation and cocaine production under Petro's government.