Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will immediately end all financial aid and subsidies to Colombia.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, the relationship between President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro has gone to shit in recent weeks, with Petro publicly lashing out at Trump on multiple fronts. While speaking in New York during the United Nations General Assembly, Petro accused the US of committing“murder” in Colombian territorial waters after a September strike on a fishing vessel allegedly involved in drug trafficking (a claim he disputed, insisting the boat carried an innocent fisherman). He went further, calling for criminal proceedings against US officials involved in the operation, explicitly stating that prosecution should include “the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump.” The situation escalated when the Trump administration revoked Petro’s US visa, citing his “reckless and incendiary” remarks and his controversial call during a pro-Palestinian protest urging American soldiers to disobey Trump’s orders.
What’s going on now: In a statement posted on Truth Social, President Trump announced that the US was officially cutting off all financial aid and subsidies to Colombia, accusing the South American nation of exploiting American support while doing nothing to curb its surging drug trade. “AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLUMBIA,” he wrote in all caps, misspelling the country’s name.
Trump followed up the announcement with direct attacks on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, calling him “an illegal drug leader” who has “strongly encouraged the massive production of narcotics” across Colombia. He claimed that drug trafficking has become “the biggest business in Colombia, by far,” and argued that 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 statement comes just weeks after the Trump administration decertified Colombia as a cooperative partner in anti-narcotics efforts.
Trump also warned that if Petro failed to take immediate action against drug production in Colombia, the US would intervene directly. “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.”
