Trump accuses Colombia’s president of ties to drug trade, cuts off U.S. aid
Daily News Article — Posted on October 22, 2025
(by Kaia Hubbard, CBS News) – President Trump called Colombia’s [left-wing] president an “illegal drug leader” on Sunday and [said he would] end U.S. aid to the South American country, following the leader’s criticism of U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean [as well as his failed policies that have led to historic levels of drug trafficking into the U.S.].
The president accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro in a post on Truth Social of “encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields.”
“It has become the biggest business in [Colombia], by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America,” the president said, continuing in all caps: “AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA.”
Hours earlier, Petro accused the U.S. in a series of X posts of hitting a fishing vessel in a strike it carried out last month, not a boat carrying drugs as it [said] at the time. The Colombian leader [claimed] a fisherman had been killed in the attack, saying that in doing so the U.S. had “invaded national territory.” He made a similar allegation earlier this month, claiming another boat that was struck by the U.S. military carried Colombian citizens — which the U.S. denied. [The NY Times notes Petro has not offered “forensic or satellite evidence, nor has Colombia’s navy or prosecutors confirmed his version of events publicly”].
Petro’s accusation has added to mounting scrutiny [from the left] of the administration’s strikes, which it has characterized as being part of a broader effort to combat drug smuggling and stem the flow of narcotics into the U.S.
It comes after a U.S. strike Thursday on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, the sixth known attack in the area since last month, and the first in which survivors were reported. President Trump said Saturday that the two survivors, one from Ecuador and the other from Colombia, would be returned to their countries of origin.
[When stating] in his post Sunday that the U.S. will no longer offer payments and subsidies to Colombia, [the president said] that the country’s drug production is intended for “the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc.”
“Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely,” the president said.
Petro pushed back on Mr. Trump’s allegations in a post on X, [claiming without evidence] that he has been the primary foe of drug trafficking in his country in recent years. Petro later said Mr. Trump had been “rude and ignorant” toward Colombia.
Last month, the Trump administration added Colombia to its list of countries it deems as failing to uphold its responsibilities to control drug trafficking for the first time in almost three decades. The department said that under Petro’s leadership, “coca cultivation and cocaine production have reached record highs while Colombia’s government failed to meet even its own vastly reduced coca eradication goals.”
At the same time, the administration issued a waiver allowing Colombia, a traditional U.S. ally in anti-drug trafficking efforts, to continue to receive aid.
It is not clear what U.S. payments to Colombia will now be cut off.
Petro, [a former Marxist guerilla who is] the first leftist elected president of Colombia in decades, has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration in recent weeks. In addition to his criticism on social media, he denounced the strikes on alleged drug boats in a speech before the United Nations last month and later, [speaking at a pro-Palestinian protest near the UN, called for the formation of a “world salvation army, whose first task is to liberate Palestine.”
“That is why, from here in New York, I ask all soldiers in the United States Army not to point their rifles at humanity,” he said. “Disobey Trump’s order! Obey the order of humanity! … I want the young people, sons and daughters of workers and farmers, of both Israel and the United States, to point their rifles…toward the tyrants and toward the fascists.” The move prompted the State Department to announce it would revoke Petro’s visa [although by that time he was on his way back to Colombia].
The strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats have also drawn backlash from neighboring Venezuela [which is run by an illegitimate socialist dictator], which has accused the Trump administration of aggression. The administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of working with drug cartels, which he has denied.
In interview with Univision on Tuesday (Oct. 21), President Petro suggested that if President Trump does not change his policies, he should be removed from power.
Published at CBS News on Oct. 19, 2025. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
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From Perplexity AI, Oct. 20:
Colombia’s illegal drug trade—particularly coca cultivation and cocaine production—has increased to unprecedented levels under the country’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, drawing strong criticism and policy consequences from allies and international agencies.
The illegal drug trade in Colombia has significantly increased due to Petro’s leftist policies, with record-high levels of coca cultivation and cocaine production reported in 2023 and 2024 (following his 2022 election).
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that coca cultivation in Colombia increased by 10% in 2023, reaching 253,000 hectares—the largest ever recorded.
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Potential cocaine production jumped 53% in 2023 [under President Petro] compared to 2022, also an all-time high since records began.
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Multiple sources, including US officials and global news agencies, confirm these numbers and tie increases directly to President Gustavo Petro’s reduced forced eradication and alternative policies.
- Petro’s shift away from military eradication of coca crops and his policies emphasizing crop substitution (paying farmers to switch crops from coca), negotiation, and social programs have not curbed drug production, but instead has caused it to skyrocket.
The last 10 presidents before Gustavo Petro were all either right-leaning or centrist. Gustavo Petro’s election in 2022 marked the first time the country chose a left-wing leader, (who is also a former Marxist guerrilla).
Historically, Colombia has been a leading recipient of US military and development assistance in Latin America, with over $14 billion provided since 2000.
The US funds Colombian police, military, and government programs to eradicate illegal coca crops, fight drug trafficking organizations, and reduce the flow of drugs into the US.
US support also strengthens Colombia’s security capabilities, helps modernize its military, and assists justice system reforms.
Aid is used for economic development, rural social programs, peace implementation after Colombia’s civil war[???], and humanitarian assistance for communities affected by violence.
The US partners closely with Colombian forces for intelligence, joint exercises, and training, ensuring regional stability and countering organized crime.
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NY POST Last month, the United States revoked Petro’s visa after he joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York and urged US soldiers to disobey Trump’s orders.
Colombia is fighting its own longstanding drug problems. Last year, Petro pledged to tame coca-growing regions in the country with massive social and military intervention, but the strategy has brought little success.
In September, Trump designated countries such as Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia and Venezuela among those the United States believes to have “failed demonstrably” in upholding counternarcotics agreements during the past year.
