“I’ll Fight Back with Guns” – Petro Dares Trump Over US Attack Warning
Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, has issued a stark warning, pledging to “take up arms” in defense of his nation if the United States launches an attack.
The leftist leader’s declaration came in direct response to threats from US President Donald Trump, who suggested Colombia could be the next target in America’s aggressive anti-drug campaign.
Trump’s comments followed the dramatic US special forces raid in Caracas last week, where Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured.
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Speaking at a rally, Trump singled out Petro, accusing him of enabling cocaine production and trafficking to the US market. “Tell Petro to watch his a,” Trump quipped, escalating a personal feud between the two leaders.
Petro, a former guerrilla commander with the M-19 movement, broke decades of pacifism in his response.
In 1989, he signed Colombia’s historic peace pact renouncing weapons, but on X (formerly Twitter), he declared: “Know that you are facing a commander of the people. Free Colombia forever.”
The Colombian president emphasized that his armed forces have standing orders to protect him, major cities, and national sovereignty.
“They have instructions to confront any foreign invader,” Petro posted, framing the potential conflict as a defense of popular will against imperialism.
Petro defended his administration’s record on drug policy, insisting it is actively dismantling illegal trafficking networks.
He argued that a US military strike would backfire, bolstering cartels by disrupting fragile peace efforts in rural areas.
Bombing cartel strongholds, Petro warned, risks civilian lives, as traffickers often use children and communities as human shields.
Such actions could spark a humanitarian catastrophe, he said, drawing parallels to past US interventions in Latin America.
Arresting him personally, Petro added, would ignite a “mass uprising” from Colombians, whom he dubbed the “popular jaguar”, a symbol of fierce national resistance.
This rhetoric taps into deep anti-Yanqui sentiments rooted in Colombia’s history of US-backed operations.
Trump’s accusations portray Petro as complicit in the cocaine trade flooding US streets.
The US president linked this to Maduro’s regime, claiming both leaders protect narco-traffickers under leftist ideologies.
Petro swiftly condemned the Caracas raid as a violation of sovereignty, demanding an emergency United Nations Security Council session.
“This is not law enforcement; it’s aggression,” he stated, rallying international support.
Tensions have simmered since Petro’s 2022 election, with the US criticizing his “total peace” negotiations with armed groups, including dissident FARC factions and the ELN guerrilla outfit.
Critics argue these deals have allowed coca cultivation to surge.
Colombia remains the world’s top cocaine producer, according to UN data, fueling US demand amid the opioid crisis.
Petro’s shift toward crop substitution over eradication has drawn bipartisan ire in Washington.
Trump, back in office, has vowed a “maximum pressure” doctrine on drug cartels, echoing his first-term designations of them as terrorist organizations.
The Maduro capture marks an early win, but Colombia experts warn of blowback.
Latin American leaders expressed alarm, with Brazil’s Lula da Silva calling for dialogue and Mexico’s Sheinbaum urging restraint.
The Organization of American States scheduled an urgent meeting.
Analysts see Petro’s defiance as a high-stakes gamble, potentially unifying domestic foes but risking economic isolation.
US aid, vital for counter-narcotics, totals hundreds of millions annually.
As rhetoric heats up, global markets watch nervously, Colombia’s peso dipped 2% on the news.
Whether Trump’s threats materialize remains unclear, but the specter of US-Colombia conflict evokes Cold War-era fears in the Americas.
