President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who is widely recognized as a radical Marxist, issued an official response filled with nonsensical rhetoric after President Trump imposed consequences on his country. Petro, known for his disdain for U.S. foreign policy and for being a former Marxist guerrilla, initially defied Trump by blocking deportation flights headed to Bogotá. However, under strategic pressure from Trump’s tariffs and sanctions, Petro quickly reversed his stance, going as far as dispatching the Colombian presidential plane to collect deportees. Yet, the volatile leader appears to have returned to his chest-thumping rhetoric with a new, bizarre statement directed toward Trump.
In a blatant disregard for the gravity of the situation, Petro mocked the sanctions, expressing that he finds the U.S. “a bit boring.” Referencing far-left American figures like Noam Chomsky, he embarked on a convoluted tirade against various facets of the U.S., apparently attempting to distract from his weakening position. Petro’s words seem incoherent and verge on being unhinged, raising questions about his grasp on reality. Instead of addressing the core issues, he drowned in a sea of self-aggrandizement and odd references.
Moving further into his absurd rant, Petro criticized U.S. oil policies and accused Trump of racism. “I don’t like your oil, Trump, you’re going to wipe out the human species because of greed,” he bizarrely declared. He then extended an invitation to Trump for a whiskey conversation, despite acknowledging his medical issues with gastritis. “It’s difficult because you consider me an inferior race and I’m not, nor is any Colombian,” he added. His attempt to liken himself to a martyr is laughable, considering his swift bowing to American pressure just days earlier.
Not stopping at that, Petro took his rhetoric up a notch by comparing Trump’s actions to historical coups, vowing to resist Trump as fiercely as he once resisted torture. “You can try to carry out a coup with your economic strength and your arrogance, like they did with Allende. But I will die in my law, I resisted torture and I resist you.” He even compared Colombia to the fictional land in Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” as if engaging in an imaginary fantasy.
His delusional diatribe further deteriorated as he claimed Colombia would no longer look north to the U.S. but instead embrace the world, drawing random historical and cultural parallels. “Our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Cordoba,” Petro rambled. He bizarrely credited Colombia as having the earliest free territory in America, even before Washington. Carried away by his misplaced nostalgia, he also lamented the U.S. taking the Panama Canal, claiming it with dubious emotional reasoning.
TRANSLATION OF STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA.
Trump, I don't really like travelling to the US, it's a bit boring, but I confess that there are some commendable things. I like going to the black neighborhoods of Washington, where I saw an entire fight in the US capital… https://t.co/WrpxH3Myke
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 26, 2025
Petro’s theatrical monologue concluded with a threat to impose tariffs on the U.S., which would undoubtedly cripple Colombia’s economy if realized. “Your blockade does not scare me, because Colombia, besides being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world,” he asserted. In a move that smacks of economic ignorance, he announced, “I am informed that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the United States, and I do the same.” Petro’s erratic behavior serves as a case study of placing personal agenda over reason, as Trump’s firm stance exposes the hollow threats of his Colombian counterpart.