The President of the United States, Donald Trump, warned that Colombia “will be the next” country to face problems if its government does not “realize.”
The statement was made this Tuesday during a press conference at the White House, in an exchange where he linked the South American nation to the production and sale of drugs to U.S. territory.
The statement came in response to a question from White House correspondent Juan Esteban Silva, who asked if he had considered speaking with the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, whom Trump labeled a "narcotrafficker."
Trump responded: “No, I really haven't thought much about him because I haven't given him much importance,” and described him as “quite hostile towards the United States.”
In his response, Trump stated that Petro "will have major problems if he doesn't realize" and claimed that Colombia "is producing a lot of drugs."
"They have cocaine factories that send the product directly to the United States," he said, according to the shared quote.
The leader concluded with a repeated warning: "he better realize, or he will be next. He will also be next. And I hope he is listening. He is going to be next," concludes the text attributed to Trump.
The tension between Washington and Bogotá has reached its most critical point in years.
Donald Trump accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of being “a leader of drug trafficking who encourages the mass production of drugs, both in large and small fields, throughout Colombia.”
The Republican leader launched the attack on the social network Truth, where he also announced the suspension of all U.S. payments and subsidies to the South American country. The post was shared by the White House on Facebook.
The verbal confrontation occurred days after the bombing of a submarine by US forces in the Caribbean Sea, as part of the so-called "war against the cartels."
Washington asserted that the vessel was transporting drugs from Venezuela, but Petro maintains that the attack occurred in Colombian territorial waters, leaving one Colombian and one Ecuadorian among the survivors.
The clash between Trump and Petro reignites a diplomatic conflict that already includes the decertification of Colombia in the anti-drug fight, the revocation of Petro's visa, and an increasing deterioration in a relationship that has historically been crucial for regional security.
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