Trump Warns Colombia’s President After Maduro Arrest

President Donald Trump isn’t mincing words and South America’s corrupt leadership is on notice.

Fresh off a dramatic U.S. military operation that ended with the capture and extradition of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Trump is now turning his attention to Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday evening, Trump issued a stern warning, accusing Petro of being complicit in the drug trade and boldly declaring, “He’s not going to be doing it very long.”

Trump went further, calling Colombia “very sick” and Petro “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.” The former president’s remarks came just one day after he told a crowd that Petro should “watch his *ss,” a statement that now seems far from hyperbole.

While Trump didn’t confirm any upcoming operations, when a reporter suggested a similar mission might be carried out in Colombia, he simply said: “Sounds good to me.”

The sharp words come after a daring five-hour U.S. mission in Caracas that saw explosions ripple across the Venezuelan capital. Maduro, who had long evaded justice after being indicted in 2020 for narcoterrorism and drug trafficking, was apprehended by American special forces and placed aboard a U.S. warship bound for New York. It was a clear message from Trump’s America: foreign drug lords aren’t safe not even in their own palaces.

Petro, a former guerrilla and far-left radical, has been increasingly defiant, defending Maduro and calling the U.S. operation “an assault on the sovereignty” of South America. But facts paint a darker picture of Petro’s Colombia:

• Colombia remains the world's largest producer of cocaine, with more than 1,100 metric tons produced in 2023 alone, a 24% increase from the previous year.

• Under Petro’s leadership, eradication efforts have fallen by nearly 50%, according to DEA reports, allowing cartels to flourish.

• Over 90% of the cocaine seized in the United States originates in Colombia, fueling addiction, crime, and death across American communities.

Even as the U.S. has targeted narco boats in both the Caribbean and Pacific, Petro’s administration has continued to hinder cooperation, criticize U.S. action, and enable criminal networks. His alliance with regimes like Venezuela and Cuba has become a growing concern for American security leaders.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also issued a strong statement over the weekend, warning, “The Cuban government is a huge problem.” Rubio added that while he wouldn’t reveal future plans, there’s no doubt the administration has its sights set on the region’s communist and criminal networks.

With Petro lashing out, defending Maduro, and presiding over the world's cocaine capital, it’s clear that Trump's America First foreign policy is once again drawing a hard line something the Biden administration has utterly failed to do. For years, Washington has coddled corrupt leaders in the name of diplomacy, while American families suffer the consequences of open borders and endless drug inflows.

Trump’s message is unmistakable: those days are over.

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