After Maduro’s capture
Another head of state feared Trump’s intervention
Updated on January 9, 2026 – 5:42 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After the US military action in Venezuela, Colombia’s president also found himself in danger. Trump was considering military action against him, says Gustavo Petro.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has at times feared military action by the USA against his country. US President Donald Trump told him in a phone call “that he was thinking about doing bad things in Colombia,” Petro said in an interview with the newspaper El País.
The left-wing head of state said he assumed that military action was being prepared. “The indication was that they were already preparing something, a military operation.” He doesn’t know what specific action was planned, only “that one was in progress.”
However, after an hour-long phone call with Trump on Wednesday, the situation eased for the time being. “I think the threat has been frozen, but I could be wrong,” Petro said. In the conversation he was able to explain his positions, including on the fight against drugs. Trump told him: “I know that many lies have been made up about you, just like they were about me.” After the phone call, Trump announced a meeting at the White House, without specifying a time.
The US President also threatened Colombia after the military action in Venezuela and the capture of Maduro. The Republican told reporters that Colombia was “very sick” and was being ruled by a “sick man” who loved “producing cocaine and selling it to the United States.” He “won’t be doing that much longer,” said Trump – without going into detail about what he specifically meant by that.
When asked by a journalist whether there would be military action against Colombia, Trump replied: “That sounds good to me.” Colombia is a neighboring country of Venezuela in South America and is considered an important cocaine production location.
