President Donald Trump said on Sunday night he would raise tariffs on Colombia and stop all payments to the South American nation, escalating a feud that stems from the US military’s strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs in the region.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday night he would raise tariffs on Colombia and stop all payments to the South American nation, escalating a feud that stems from the US military’s strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs in the region.
Earlier in the day, Trump called Colombian President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said US forces had attacked a vessel associated with a Colombian rebel group.
Petro said the boat belonged to a “humble family,” not a rebel group, while his government called Trump’s remarks offensive.
Trump’s latest comments marked a new low in relations between Washington and Bogota, which Trump accuses of being complicit in the illicit drug trade. “They don’t have a fight against drugs — they make drugs,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Petro has objected to the US military’s strikes against vessels in the Caribbean, which have killed dozens of people and inflamed tensions in the region.
