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President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have met face-to-face after months of public clashes.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: The relationship between President Trump and President Petro has been rocky, to say the least. Trump has repeatedly accused Petro of being a drug trafficker, blaming him for the influx of cocaine into the United States and openly threatening military action against Colombia. Petro has fired back by referencing the unsealed Epstein court files, implying Trump has ties to pedophilia and questioning his morals. Their feud escalated as the US launched strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats from Venezuela and Colombia, actions Petro condemned as reckless and inhumane. The tensions peaked when the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Petro, his wife, his son, and his interior minister, alleging involvement in global narcotics trafficking claims Petro strongly denied.
What’s going on now: The meeting between President Trump and President Petro took place behind closed doors at the White House, without the traditional press access or ceremonial standards typically afforded to visiting heads of state. Notably, Petro did not receive a military honor guard and instead entered through a back entrance. Despite months of escalating insults and public threats, the meeting ended on a surprisingly warm note. Trump later said, “We got along very well. He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted because I never met him. I didn’t know him at all, and we got along very well.”
The talks focused primarily on drug trafficking and sanctions, two central issues in the deteriorating US-Colombia relationship. Trump stated that they had made progress: “We’re working on that. We’re working on some other things too, including sanctions.” Petro echoed this, calling the meeting “very positive” with an “optimistic and constructive tone.” He also highlighted Colombia’s recent efforts to crack down on the drug trade, noting that his government had seized more cocaine than at any time “in the history of humanity.”
Petro also acknowledged that they had not discussed his inclusion on the US Treasury’s OFAC sanctions list, which he said was politically motivated due to his comments at the UN related to Gaza. However, he claimed to have handed Trump the names of international drug lords living in places like Dubai, Madrid, and Miami, stressing that the true capos of the cocaine trade do not reside in Colombia.
