Trump accuses Colombian President Petro of supporting drug production, ends subsidies: ‘Petro is an illegal drug leader’

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (October 19) launched a sharp attack on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of enabling illegal drug production and warning of direct US action.

Allegations against Petro

In his Truth Social post, Trump labeled Petro as “an illegal drug leader” and accused him of encouraging large-scale drug production across Colombia. He said, “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.”

US payments suspended

Trump announced that, effective immediately, all US payments and subsidies to Colombia would cease. “AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,” he wrote, emphasizing the scale of the threat posed by the Colombian drug trade to the United States.

Direct warning to Colombia

Trump framed the situation as a threat to US security, citing the flow of illegal drugs into the country. He warned Petro to take action against the drug-producing areas, stating, “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.”

US strike on drug-carrying submarine in Caribbean

Trump confirmed on Truth Social on Saturday that a recent US military operation targeted a semi-submersible vessel in the Caribbean, describing it as a strike against narcoterrorists.

“It was my great honor to destroy a very large drug-carrying submarine that was navigating towards the United States on a well-known narcotrafficking transit route,” Trump wrote.

Trump said US intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying fentanyl and other narcotics. The strike, carried out on Thursday, aimed to disrupt a major drug trafficking route. Two crew members were killed, while two others survived and were airlifted by US forces to a nearby US Navy warship.

Ongoing operations

Trump justified the strikes by asserting that the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels.

Since September, US forces have targeted at least six vessels, mostly speedboats, in the Caribbean, some allegedly originating from Venezuela. While Washington claims these operations are delivering a decisive blow to drug trafficking, no evidence has been publicly provided to confirm that those killed were active drug smugglers.