'Come get me': Colombian President Gustavo Petro dares Trump after US operation in Venezuela
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has openly challenged US President Donald Trump following a US military operation in Venezuela that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, sharply escalating diplomatic tensions in the region.
Condemning the US action on Monday, Petro issued a direct warning to Trump, saying, “Come get me. I’m waiting for you here.”
He cautioned that any similar operation in Colombia would provoke widespread resistance.
“If they bomb, the campesinos will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people,” Petro said.
A former left-wing guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, Petro added that while he had sworn never to take up arms again, he would do so “for the homeland” if Colombia were attacked.
The standoff intensified after Trump accused Colombia’s leadership of fuelling the US drug crisis.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said Colombia was “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” adding that Petro “won’t be doing it very long.”
Trump also said that launching an operation against Colombia “sounds good” to him, further inflaming tensions.
In response, Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement emphasising that the country would maintain international relations based on dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect, while asserting that threats or the use of force between states are unacceptable.
In October, Trump imposed sanctions on Petro and members of his family, citing alleged links to the illegal drug trade. Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, with coca cultivation concentrated primarily in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.
Parallels with Maduro’s arrest
Petro’s remarks echoed earlier defiance by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who in August dared Trump to “come and get him” after the US increased the reward for information leading to his arrest.
Following Maduro’s capture, the White House released a video on X mocking the Venezuelan leader.
The clip featured footage of Maduro’s past taunts alongside scenes from the US operation in Caracas and Trump’s press briefing on the strikes.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was heard in the video saying that Maduro “had his chance — until he didn’t,” adding, “He f****d around and found out.”
US confirms charges against Maduro
US officials said the operation to arrest Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, followed months of planning and unfolded rapidly over the weekend, with American forces converging on Caracas.
Trump confirmed that both have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges related to alleged drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies, and will face trial in the United States.
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