Tensions between the United States and Colombia have soared to new heights following a dramatic exchange between President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, prompting questions about the future of a decades-long partnership in the war on drugs. The diplomatic rift became public on Sunday, October 19, 2025, when President Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. would immediately halt all subsidies to Colombia. Trump accused Petro of being an "illegal drug dealer" and claimed his Colombian counterpart had done nothing to curb the production of illicit drugs, despite what he described as "large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America," according to HipHopWired and the BBC.
Trump's announcement came in direct response to Petro's accusations that the U.S. military had murdered a Colombian fisherman during a recent attack on a boat in Colombian territorial waters. The incident, which occurred on September 15, 2025, resulted in the death of fisherman Alejandro Carranza. According to President Petro, Carranza had no ties to drug trafficking and was simply engaged in his daily activity of fishing when his boat, adrift with a distress signal raised due to engine failure, was struck by U.S. forces. Petro posted on social media, "The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government." He added pointedly, "Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to the drug trade and his daily activity was fishing."
The U.S. military justified the strike by claiming the targeted boat was involved in drug trafficking, but has so far provided little evidence or details about the identities of the vessels or those on board. The New York Times reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced another strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on October 19, 2025, part of a broader escalation of U.S. military operations in the region. Currently, the U.S. has deployed 10,000 military personnel, along with dozens of ships and aircraft, throughout the Caribbean, primarily targeting drug routes in and around Colombia and Venezuela.
These attacks have not come without controversy. Critics, including UN-appointed human rights experts, have described the U.S. military strikes as "extrajudicial executions" and labeled them illegal, as they have been conducted without congressional approval. According to figures released by the U.S. administration and cited by the BBC, at least six strikes have taken place in recent weeks, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people prior to the latest attack. The most recent incident, which occurred on October 16, 2025, involved a submarine and marked the first time survivors were reported, though two people were killed. Trump defended the operation, stating, "U.S. intelligence confirmed the vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics." The two survivors, from Ecuador and Colombia, were transferred to a U.S. Navy ship and are expected to be returned to their countries of origin.
The diplomatic fallout has been swift and severe. Trump’s threat to suspend financial payments to Colombia is no small matter. According to data from the State Department, the U.S. has allotted $210 million in aid to Colombia in 2025, including $31 million dedicated to agricultural infrastructure. The U.S. has provided billions in subsidies to Colombia over the years, supporting military and police efforts to combat drug cartels and bolster security. In 2023 alone, U.S. aid to Colombia totaled over $740 million, according to a government website cited by the BBC. However, the future of this support is now in question.
Colombia has long been considered one of the United States’ closest allies in South America, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking. But the relationship has grown increasingly fraught under Petro’s presidency. In September 2025, the U.S. declared Colombia ineligible for aid under the Foreign Assistance Act due to its failure to meet drug trafficking reduction promises. However, a waiver allowed aid to continue—until now. Trump’s latest pronouncement signals a dramatic shift in U.S. policy, as he declared, "the US will no longer offer payment or subsidies to Colombia," directly tying the decision to Petro’s alleged inaction and his public accusations against the U.S. military.
Petro, for his part, has not shied away from confrontation. Responding to Trump’s attacks, he invoked Colombia’s Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez and suggested Trump should read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" to learn something about solitude. In a pointed Instagram post, Petro wrote, "You are rude and ignorant toward Colombia. Read, as your chargé d’affaires in Colombia did, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude,’ and I assure you, you will learn something about solitude." He continued, "I don’t do business like you do — I am a socialist. I believe in solidarity, the common good, and the shared resources of humanity, the greatest of all: life, now endangered by your oil."
The rift is unfolding against the backdrop of a surge in cocaine production in Colombia, which has reached record levels under Petro’s administration, according to the U.S. State Department. The country has also failed to meet its coca eradication goals, a fact that has drawn sharp criticism from Washington. Trump has used these statistics to justify his decision to cut aid, arguing that Petro is "strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia."
The diplomatic spat is not limited to Colombia. In recent weeks, Trump has also escalated threats against Venezuela’s leadership, accusing the country of sending drugs to the U.S. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in turn, has accused Trump of attempting to make Venezuela "an American colony." Trump has publicly stated he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and is considering launching attacks on Venezuelan soil, according to the BBC.
As the U.S. continues its military campaign in the Caribbean, the legality and morality of its actions remain hotly debated. Critics argue that the strikes, which have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, lack transparency and due process. Supporters, however, contend that the aggressive tactics are necessary to stem the flow of deadly drugs like Fentanyl into the United States.
For Colombia, the stakes are high. The potential loss of U.S. aid threatens to undermine efforts to combat powerful drug cartels and address the root causes of narcotics production. For the U.S., the diplomatic rift could jeopardize a key regional alliance at a time when transnational drug trafficking remains a persistent challenge. As both leaders dig in their heels, the future of U.S.-Colombia relations—and the broader fight against drugs in the Americas—hangs in the balance.
With both sides trading accusations and refusing to back down, the coming weeks will reveal whether this historic partnership can survive its most serious test yet.