Trump Calls Foreign President a ‘Drug Dealer’

In a chaotic and inflammatory Sunday morning social media outburst, President Donald Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being a drug trafficker and abruptly cut off all U.S. funding to the South American ally—while repeatedly misspelling the country’s name as “Columbia.”

The error-ridden post, which briefly appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account before being deleted and reposted with corrected spelling, has already sparked a fierce international backlash and new concerns over the administration’s unannounced escalation of military activity in Latin America.

“Petro does nothing to stop it,” Trump wrote, “despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.”

“AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA.”

Trump accused Petro of overseeing “killing fields” and vowed that the United States would “close them up for him,” adding ominously, “and it won’t be done nicely.”

A New Front in Trump’s Drug War?

The posts come just one day after Trump publicly took credit for a lethal military strike on a suspected drug-smuggling submarine off the coast of the Caribbean. In a video posted on Truth Social, Trump declared, “It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE,” boasting of a direct hit that killed two people and injured two others.

According to administration officials, the strike was part of a secretive campaign launched last month targeting alleged cartel vessels in international waters. The White House says 29 people have been killed so far. No names, nationalities, or affiliations have been released.

Critics, including human rights groups and international legal experts, are calling the strikes an “unauthorized war” with no clear oversight and potential violations of international law. One UN official speaking anonymously warned that “the lack of transparency is deeply troubling—this could rise to the level of war crimes.”

Colombia Strikes Back

President Petro wasted no time responding. In a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter), Petro said Trump had been “deceived by his own intelligence officials” and reminded the world of his anti-cartel record.

“The main enemy that drug trafficking had in Colombia in the 21st century was the one who exposed its ties to Colombia’s political power. That was me,” Petro wrote.

“I recommend that Trump take a good look at Colombia and determine which side the narcos are on, and which side the democrats are on.”

Petro also condemned the U.S. military strike, which he says killed a civilian, as “a violation of international law.” His administration is now calling for an emergency meeting at the United Nations.

Escalating Personal Feud

The Trump-Petro rivalry has been growing for months. Just weeks ago, Petro publicly compared Trump to Adolf Hitler during his fiery address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“When we believed it was only the property of Hitler, Trump does not speak of democracy, he does not speak of the climate crisis, he does not speak of life—he only threatens, kills, and lets tens of thousands be killed,” Petro declared at the UN podium.

In response, the U.S. State Department moved to revoke Petro’s visa and restrict future diplomatic travel.

The White House has since labeled Colombian cartels as “non-state armed groups,” opening the door for expanded military operations. Trump has privately referred to the effort as “a new kind of war,” according to one senior official.

Diplomatic Fallout—and Political Theater

The decision to sever funding to Colombia stunned many in Washington, where lawmakers from both parties expressed concern about bypassing Congress and destabilizing a key regional partner.

“Trump is tweeting us into another war,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “Colombia is an ally, not an enemy—and this reckless posturing is going to get innocent people killed.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) blasted the president’s impulsive online declaration: “This is how foreign policy is made now? In a typo-riddled rant on a social platform?”

Even some Republican officials are privately expressing alarm, although most remain publicly silent.

Is Anyone Watching the Border—or the Constitution?

While Trump’s administration touts the new strategy as necessary to “protect American lives,” critics argue that it’s an election-year stunt meant to revive his “tough on crime” image—and distract from growing domestic issues.

With U.S.-Mexico border crossings spiking again this fall, and Trump still facing multiple legal challenges from his first term, the president’s latest move risks igniting a broader conflict—without congressional approval.

“It’s like the War on Drugs, the Sequel—only this time with missiles,” said Michael Shannon, a former Pentagon official. “And no rules.”