President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a stark warning that the United States could launch strikes against any nation involved in moving illegal narcotics into American territory.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said that countries linked to drug smuggling “could face attacks,” citing the flow of cocaine from Colombia as an example.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro swiftly responded through a post on X, noting that Colombian authorities dismantle a drug laboratory “every 40 minutes” and, he added pointedly, they do so “without firing missiles.”
In recent months, Trump has expanded a military campaign targeting vessels suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Several such operations have ended with missile strikes that have resulted in multiple deaths.
Tensions have also grown as U.S. military presence in the Caribbean increases, particularly amid Trump’s clashes with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose country borders Colombia. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of enabling the drug trade that harms Americans, an allegation he firmly rejects. Trump has even hinted at the possibility of military action in Venezuela.
Reinforcing his warning on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that the threat of U.S. strikes applied to “any country” funneling illegal drugs into the United States, “not only Venezuela.”
Trump also complained about problems with France, before once again accusing Colombia of being a major source of cocaine, claiming the substance is “made there and then sold to us.”
President Petro already under U.S. sanctions invited Trump to support Colombia’s counter-narcotics campaign, but issued a sharp caution in return.
“Do not undermine our sovereignty, or you will awaken the Jaguar,” Petro said. “Any attack on our sovereignty is an act of war.”
