Trump: Bogota extends an invitation for to come as he attacks Colombia’s Petro for drug trafficking
Trump : When President Donald chastised his Colombian colleague Gustavo Petro over drug-trafficking worries, the latter unexpectedly invited Trump to visit, sparking a diplomatic spat in the American continent.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was questioned at the White House briefing on Trump’s statement that the president of Colombia “better wise up or he’s going to be next,” alluding to crackdowns on international drug networks. Leavitt said that she would “let the President speak directly to it” after just learning about Petro’s request for Trump to visit Colombia.
Regarding Trump’s threat, Leavitt said that the President reacted to “alarming and frankly insulting things” that Petro had spoken about the United States. She said, “The President does not like it.”
The conversation takes place as Trump looks to step up his efforts to combat drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere. Given that drugs have “killed hundreds of thousands of Americans,” Leavitt emphasized that “stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States” is a high concern.
She maintained that Trump’s government is “delivering on that promise” after he pledged to “demolish the foreign terrorist organizations and drug cartels around the world, especially right here in our own hemisphere.”
A vessel carrying oil that was sanctioned and thought to be connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was captured by US troops in Venezuela, which was also discussed at the press conference. According to Leavitt, the administration is dedicated to “effectuating… sanction policy” and will not let “black market oil” to support criminal or rogue governments.
An intricate diplomatic occasion is indicated by Petro’s surprise invitation. Although Colombia and Washington have a long history of working together on anti-drug operations, Petro has sometimes criticized Trump’s policy choices, looking for alternatives to the militarized tactics that have been used for decades.
It is noteworthy that India has cooperating security channels for drugs interdiction with the governments of Latin America and the United States. Because US drug-interdiction tactics impact international trafficking pathways, especially maritime corridors that have become more prevalent in Indian police operations, New Delhi keeps a careful eye on these developments.