In a peculiar series of events, left-wing Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a mystifying response to President Donald Trump’s threat of sanctions following Petro’s initial move to block flights carrying deported Colombian nationals. Petro, known for his Marxist guerrilla past and criticism of U.S. policies, had previously yielded to Trump’s pressure, resulting in him sending out the presidential plane to retrieve deportees. However, he didn’t stop there and continued on what can only be described as an eccentric tirade against Trump.
Petro began by ridiculing the sanctions imposed by the U.S., expressing his sentiments toward the situation by describing America as “a bit boring,” and then veered into a bizarre rant, invoking far-left American figures like Noam Chomsky. His rhetoric was all over the place, as he derided U.S. oil interests, accused Trump of racism, and depicted himself as some sort of freedom fighter using overly dramatic language.
He declared, “I don’t like your oil, Trump, you’re going to wipe out the human species because of greed. Maybe one day, over a glass of whiskey, which I accept, despite my gastritis, we can talk frankly about this, but it’s difficult because you consider me an inferior race and I’m not, nor is any Colombian.” This strange admission was just a glimpse into the erratic nature of his statement, filled with invocations of past Latin American leaders and vivid, albeit confusing, imagery.
Petro rambled about resisting economic pressures, likening his resistance to historical figures, stating, “So if you know someone who is stubborn, that’s me, period. 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.” Portraying himself as a lone warrior against the U.S. “slavery”, he continued with a poorly veiled challenge to American influence.
His narrative sputtered on with abstract references to Colombian culture, historical figures, and bizarre geographic claims. “Colombia now stops looking north, looks at the world, our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Cordoba, the civilization of that time, of the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic, democracy in Athens; our blood has the black resistance fighters turned into slaves by you. In Colombia is the first free territory of America, before Washington, of all America, there I take refuge in its African songs.” Petro’s statements are overflowing with historical inaccuracies and seem to be a reach for some sort of ideological superiority over the U.S.
In an almost theatrical climax of his address, Petro threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs, despite the potentially catastrophic consequences for the Colombian economy: “Your blockade does not scare me, because Colombia, besides being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world,” Petro boldly (or recklessly) proclaimed. “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.”
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 response is filled with emotional verbosity and seems to reflect an unsteady grasp of geopolitical realities. In contrast, President Trump’s firm stance managed to secure compliance from Petro initially, demonstrating the effectiveness of a hardline approach to preserve America’s interests. The odd nature of Petro’s response serves only to highlight the unpredictability of his administration.
This Petro could easily be a democrat in the US. Him and Kamala could talk together for hours, pat each other on the back and believe each other the smartest in the room.
Since he’s so proud of “his race”, then why doesn’t he take his “own kind” back into the country? — Since Americans are so boring to him, I think we need to liven it up a bit for him, by cutting off trade with him completely – and see how long he lasts before his “own people” take him apart at the seams. Of course, that would mean our coffee prices would sky-rocket for a while, so we need to find another source and then proceed to make his life very exciting.
JUST SHUT HIS COUNTRY DOWN!!! I THINK HE’S BEEN SMOKING TO MUCH RED BUD!!!