Donald Trump is eyeing an expansion of his drug war. On Saturday, U.S. forces raided a military base in Venezuela, seizing Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Shortly after, he began threatening other Latin American countries, including Cuba and Colombia, as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina joined him.
On Sunday, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Donald Trump issued a severe warning about Colombia, describing the nation’s leader, President Gustavo Petro, as “very sick.” The POTUS said, “Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.”
.@POTUS: “Colombia’s very sick, too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States — and he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you.” pic.twitter.com/TkstSRX4WM
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 5, 2026
Additionally, the POTUS was asked about his thoughts on carrying out Venezuela-style military operations in other Latin American countries. He responded with, “It sounds good to me.” However, Colombia has not taken the threat well and responded with strong criticism of the POTUS.
“It represents an undue interference in the internal affairs of the country, against the norms of international law,” the Foreign Ministry of Colombia said on Sunday. Previously, Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Petro and his country of being extensively involved in the global drug trade, especially cocaine. In October, his administration also imposed sanctions on Petro, his family, and a member of his government.
Meanwhile, Colombia was also targeted during months-long airstrikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats. According to The New York Post, the operations also attacked some ships coming from Colombia in the eastern Pacific. These boats were suspected of drug trafficking.
On Sunday, issuing a threat to Petro, Trump said, “He’s not going to be doing it for very long. He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not going to be doing it.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP JUST NOW:
Trump: “Colombia is run by a sick man, he’s not going to be doing it for very long.”
Reporter: “So there will be an operation by the US in Colombia?”
Trump: “Sounds good to me.” pic.twitter.com/66fQM7cEIY
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) January 5, 2026
As he expands his drug war, Trump’s critics have rallied against him following Maduro’s arrest. Delcy Rodríguez, who was serving as the vice president of Venezuela, has now been appointed acting president. Trump also threatened her, saying she could face dire consequences if she didn’t do what’s right. Surprisingly, she has agreed to work with the United States, a day after criticizing the military raid as an illegal effort by the Trump administration.
“We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented toward shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodríguez said. “President Donald Trump, our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
