Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter who laid down arms decades ago to enter mainstream politics, has said he is prepared to “take up arms” again if US President Donald Trump follows through on threats made after the US military’s regime-change operation in neighboring Venezuela.
“I swore not to touch a weapon again… but for the homeland I will take up arms again,” Petro said in a post on X, according to a report by news agency AFP.
Escalating war of words
Petro’s remarks came after Trump, over the weekend, warned the Colombian leader to “watch his ass” and described him as “a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”
Trump and senior members of his administration have long made narco-terrorism allegations against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, his wife, and other top officials — claims that preceded the US operation last Saturday in which Maduro was seized in Caracas.
Petro defends Colombia’s record
Petro strongly rejected Trump’s accusations and defended his government’s anti-narcotics record, pointing to major cocaine seizures, a reduction in coca cultivation, and sustained security operations against drug trafficking networks.
In another post on X, Petro criticised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accusing him of misrepresenting Colombia’s constitutional order. He said that under Colombian law, the President is the Supreme Commander of the military and police.
Detailing his administration’s efforts, Petro said Colombia had overseen what he described as the world’s largest cocaine seizure, curbed the expansion of coca crops, and implemented a voluntary crop substitution programme covering around 30,000 hectares. He added that security forces had targeted major drug trafficking corridors and armed groups while adhering to humanitarian law.
Warning against US military tactics
Petro cautioned against aggressive military action, arguing that indiscriminate force could worsen violence.
“If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children. If you bomb peasants, thousands will turn into guerrillas in the mountains. And if you detain the president, whom a good part of my people love and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar,” he wrote.
Long-standing tensions with Trump
Petro, whose M-19 urban guerrilla movement disarmed under a 1989 peace agreement, has frequently clashed with Trump since the Republican leader returned to the White House in January 2025.
He has been a vocal critic of the expanding US military presence in the Caribbean, which began with the destruction of alleged drug-smuggling boats, then escalated to the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers, and culminated in last weekend’s raid on Caracas.
Sanctions and political fallout
Trump has accused Petro — without presenting evidence — of involvement in drug trafficking and imposed financial sanctions on him and his family. Washington has also removed Colombia from the list of countries certified as allies in the US-led war on drugs.
The Trump administration is seen as being close to Colombia’s right-wing opposition, which is hoping to regain power in upcoming legislative and presidential elections later this year, adding another layer of political tension to the growing diplomatic crisis.