Saturday, March 29, 2025
“I’m waiting, come and catch me… now the president of this country has thrown a challenge at Donald Trump.”
Summary:
Tensions between the two countries (the US and Colombia) escalated further when US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, after the attack on Venezuela, that Colombia is being run by a man who used to sell narcotics to the United States.
6 January 2026, 7:53 PM IST
Pramod Praveen, Live Hindustan, New Delhi
Tensions between the United States and the South American country of Colombia have sharply increased after the US military operation in neighboring Venezuela. Colombia’s President, Gustavo Petro, has openly challenged US President Donald Trump, daring him to come and arrest him. On Monday, Petro strongly condemned the American military action in Venezuela and, in a statement addressed to Trump, said, “Come and get me. I’m here waiting for you.”
He warned, “If they (the US) drop bombs, the villagers will turn into thousands of guerrilla fighters in the mountains. And if they arrest their beloved president, they will awaken the ‘jaguar’ of the people.” He claimed that the people of Colombia love and respect him. Before laying down arms in the 1990s, Petro was a leftist guerrilla. “I had sworn I would never again take up arms… but I will take up arms again for my homeland,” he said.
Tensions spike between the US and Colombia
Ties between the two countries worsened further when President Trump told reporters on Sunday, after the attack on Venezuela, that Colombia is run by a man who used to sell drugs to the US. Trump said, “Colombia is also very sick. It is run by a sick man who loves to make cocaine and sell it to the United States. And he will not be able to do that for much longer, I’m telling you.” Trump also said he would like to launch a similar campaign against Colombia.
In October, Trump imposed sanctions on Petro and his family members over alleged links to illegal drug trafficking. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine. The coca plant is grown mainly in three Latin American countries: Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia.
Before the Colombian president, Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro had issued a similar dare to Trump. In August, Maduro had challenged Trump saying, “Come and catch me. I will be waiting in Miraflores. Coward, don’t delay.” He made this fiery statement when the US had increased the reward for information leading to his arrest.
