Petro evaluates Colombia’s response to Trump’s “irrational threat”

Relations between Petro and Trump have been strained in recent days after the Colombian denounced the murders of fishermen in the Caribbean; The US has responded with threats of tariffs and both presidents have exchanged accusations.

–Information in development

Mexico City, October 20 (However).– The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petroassured this Monday that he will respond “intelligently” to the threats of the President Donald Trump of impose tariffs to the South American country after a exchange of accusations between the two that arose from the US attacks against vessels in the Caribbean, in which Colombian fishermen have been directly affected.

“Today I will review the measures we will take, with the Chancellor, the Vice President, our Ambassador to the United States, the Minister of Commerce and Agriculture, the person in charge of the Illicit Crop Substitution Program, the Minister of Defense, the most intelligent Colombian response to the irrational threat,” Petro said on his social networks.

“I will tell you in the Council of Ministers televised on public channels, I hope Teleantioquia broadcasts it, there should be no misinformation bubbles in the regions of Colombia. Antioquia also fought for national independence, and therefore, it is republican, democratic and great Colombian. The truth will set you free, said Martí and today relations with the US are sincere,” added the Colombian president.

The FTA is suspended de facto and by unilateral decision of the US government. By imposing 10% tariffs, the NAFTA treaty was already violated and the old tariff preferences that made Colombia under US control became null and void. They are broken…

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 20, 2025

Petro also said this Monday that the economic relations “they are unilaterally broken by the United States, not by us, and they leave us free, let us not be afraid of being free, we have the whole world in front of us, let’s work to explore it, understand it, and seduce it,” although he did not clarify whether the tariffs he referred to are those that have to do with Trump’s new threat launched this Sunday, of which the amount it would entail is unknown, or the 10 percent tariffs that The US had already imposed Colombia as a “base” in previous months, something it did with most countries in the world.

“The FTA is suspended de facto and by unilateral decision of the US government. By imposing 10 percent tariffs, the FTA treaty was already violated and the old tariff preferences that made Colombia under US control became null and void,” Petro said this afternoon.

“We have maintained the clauses of the FTA that survive, because we felt like it, but the Ministry of Commerce has the decrees that I have not yet signed, with a Colombian position in defense of national work and the life of humanity,” he warned.

“Colombians know how to do it. As Trump says, we are out of control, it is true. The only real control over a democracy is not exercised by foreigners who hate migrants and hate Latin Americans; it is exercised by the people themselves. Trump does not control Colombia, he obeys only the Colombian and Latin American people, if he wants,” concluded the Colombian president.