U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced plans to raise tariffs on Colombia and halt all financial support to the South American nation, deepening a diplomatic rift triggered by U.S. military strikes on vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
Earlier, Trump labelled Colombian President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader,” while U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that American forces had attacked a vessel said to be linked to a Colombian rebel group. Petro, however, rejected the claim, insisting the vessel belonged to a “humble family,” and described Trump’s remarks as offensive.
The dispute marks a new low in relations between Washington and Bogotá, as Trump accused Colombia of complicity in the narcotics trade. “They don’t fight drugs they make drugs,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that details of new tariffs would be released Monday.
Petro has strongly opposed U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, which have reportedly killed dozens of people and heightened regional tensions. Legal and human rights groups have condemned the attacks as unlawful and disproportionate.
Trump further stated that the U.S. would “drop all money that we’re giving” to Colombia, though it remains unclear what funding he referred to. Once one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid in the Western Hemisphere, Colombia’s support had already been reduced following the closure of USAID earlier this year.
Colombia’s foreign ministry denounced Trump’s accusations as an “extremely serious act” that undermines the country’s sovereignty and the dignity of its president.
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Meanwhile, Hegseth wrote on X that the Pentagon had destroyed a ship on Friday and killed three people in the USSOUTHCOM area, claiming it was tied to the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) and involved in drug smuggling. Petro dismissed the claim, accusing Washington of spreading falsehoods and disrespecting Colombia.
“Mr Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the United States… but you are rude and ignorant to Colombia,” Petro said on X. “Since I am not a businessman, I am even less a drug trafficker. There is no greed in my heart.”
Tensions have worsened in recent months after the U.S. revoked Petro’s visa following his participation in a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, where he urged American soldiers to disobey Trump’s orders.
Despite Petro’s domestic pledges to combat coca production through social and military reform, Colombia’s drug crisis remains unresolved. In September, the Trump administration listed Colombia among countries that had “failed demonstrably” to meet U.S. counter-narcotics commitments, alongside Venezuela, Bolivia, and Afghanistan.
