Petro Claims Trump is Advised by "Miami Nazis Linked to Drug Trafficking"

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has denounced attempts by U.S. and Colombian politicians to undermine the relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump for their own benefit. He also claimed that his counterpart is a victim of deception and poor counsel.

The truth about drug crops and trafficking in Colombia is a "topic that was never explained to [Donald] Trump and is key to demonstrating the falseness of his assessment of anti-narcotics policy," the president stated during a meeting with ministers. He added that neither his ambassador to the U.S. nor his chancellor have managed to find a way to speak with Trump directly, instead doing so through Senator Bernie Moreno.

Trump "only hears the slander from Senator Bernie Moreno, who is interested in other types of businesses that are only guaranteed in Colombia by [...] [former presidents] Andrés Pastrana, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and [Iván] Duque," Petro said. "That's why he wants to get us out of here quickly, so that his and his brothers' business deals can happen in Colombia, and Trump has not realized this deception, this scam, and no one is telling him." He added that Trump listens to "this kind of advisor, [of which] many are Miami Nazis linked to drug trafficking."

Furthermore, he revealed the existence of a new cartel in Bogotá that seeks to benefit politicians like Moreno and is carrying out a coup plan against him.

*"After the paramilitaries, there is a new cartel in Bogotá. That cartel is no longer even Bogotano or Colombian; it is made up of Bogotano and Cundinamarca politicians. Some vote, because it is no longer a hierarchical cartel, but a federation, and they even vote by phone [...] there they voted on whether to kill me or not [...] they bought a SAM-16 missile, which they sought to fire against the presidential plane [...] this cartel became linked, and I believe the U.S. has something to do with that,"* he asserted.

Massacre in Latin America

On the other hand, he warned of a possible massacre in Latin America due to Washington's strategies against nations in the region. He called on the Colombian people to mobilize in defense of the country's dignity and sovereignty. "That is why I invite you on Friday at 4:00 to accompany me, because it is in company that one defends oneself from a monster like Trump."

Thus, he urged Colombia's ambassador to the U.S., Daniel García-Peña, to build a path of direct communication with Trump to achieve a solution to the tensions. "That opportunity to dialogue with arguments must always be maintained, or we will end up in a massacre of the Latin American people, which we as a Government must avoid, because we are the heart of the world," he insisted. He also made a call to the international community: "I summon the world to help us [...] because they want to attack us, and they are mobsters, and Trump is believing them."

• The escalation of tensions between the two presidents was triggered after U.S. forces bombed a boat in the Caribbean Sea that, according to Colombia, was in the country's territorial waters and was allegedly crewed by its nationals.

• Previously, Trump ordered the suspension of U.S. funding programs for Colombia, without specifying which ones. Other spokespeople from his Administration suggested the possibility of imposing more tariffs against the South American country's economy.