Trump to hit Colombia with new tariffs amid clash with Petro over drug trade
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President Trump walks down the steps of Air Force One at West Palm Beach International Airport on Oct. 17 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Trump said Sunday that the U.S. will slash aid to Colombia and slap new tariffs on the country, accusing its leader in a social media brawl of "strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs."
The big picture: Colombia has historically been a close partner to the U.S. in Latin America, but relations have been strained under the administration of President Gustavo Petro, a leftist ally to Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
- Those tensions have escalated during the Trump administration's campaign of deadly strikes in the Caribbean, in which Petro has claimed Colombian citizens were killed.
- Critics have raised legal concerns over the strikes, while the administration has released very little information identifying who has been killed beyond saying they were "narco-terrorists."
The latest: Trump confirmed to reporters on Sunday an X post posted earlier in the day by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that the U.S. president would soon announce "major" tariffs on Colombia.
- "I read the statement of Sen. Graham, and it's correct. Yeah, I was with him today," said Trump, adding that he would announce the tariff rate on Monday.
Zoom in: Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Sunday that Petro does "nothing to stop" the production of drugs in Colombia, "despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America."
- The U.S. issued more than $200 million in foreign aid to Colombia in fiscal year 2025, a drop from past years, per government figures.
- "AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA," Trump said in his post.
He slammed Petro as a "very unpopular leader" with "a fresh mouth toward America" and said he "better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely."
- In Trump's original post, shared by his rapid response account, Colombia was repeatedly spelled incorrectly.
The other side: Petro responded to Trump in a series of X posts, one of which, when translated, read, "Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the USA; on the contrary, it has greatly admired its culture. But you are rude and ignorant toward Colombia."
- On Saturday, Petro accused the U.S. of killing a "lifelong fisherman" in a September strike amid a series of attacks on vessels the administration says are necessary to stop the flow of drugs.
- The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
State of play: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Sunday that the U.S. had conducted another strike on a vessel that he said was affiliated with Colombia's Ejército de Liberación Nacional, or the National Liberation Army.
- He said "three male narco-terrorists" were killed in the strike, which occurred on Friday.
- Trump confirmed Friday the military had hit an alleged "drug-carrying submarine." Two survivors were captured and will be repatriated to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia, the president said in a Truth Social post.
- Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who oversees military operations across Central and South America and in the Caribbean Sea, announced Thursday he would retire after decades of service. He did not mention the strikes in his announcement, but the New York Times reported he had raised concerns.
Friction point: The strikes have been a source of stress on Capitol Hill, with some Republicans joining Democrats in their scrutiny.
- Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that the strikes "go against all of our tradition."
- He added: "You have to accuse them of something. You have to present evidence. So all of these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime."
What they're saying: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that he worries about "the legal authorities or lack thereof" behind the campaign.
- He told CBS News' Margaret Brennan "they had a very hard time explaining to us the ... legal rationale for doing this and the constitutionality of doing it."
- Kelly added, "the brief we got ... had a tremendous number of holes in it."
Go deeper: Colombian president accuses Trump of violating UN principles after visa revoked
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment by President Trump.
