BOGOTA, Colombia — Few leaders have dared to confront the president. donald trump publicly like the president Gustavo Petro From Colombia.
While many have treaded cautiously since Trump took office, Petro has infuriated him, blocking deportation flights and demonstrating on the streets of Manhattan urging American soldiers to disobey orders, calling the U.S.murderFor attacks on ships in the Eastern Pacific.
On Tuesday he announced: Suspension of all information exchange As long as ship attacks continue, relations with the United States will continue.
Trump responded by calling Petro a “leader of illegal drug trafficking,” and the administration revoked Petro’s visa and added him to a list of sanctions that normally target Petro. Serious criminals and human rights violators.
Rebellion is nothing new for Petro, a former guerrilla in Colombia’s long and brutal civil war.
Those who knew him describe him as a man driven by his beliefs.
be staunch critic of corruption and inequality He became the most militant face of the Colombian left.
The same impulse is now fueling his desire to confront Washington, they say, even as the government is paralyzed by persistent violence, scandal and cabinet turmoil at home.
For his fans, a showdown with Trump would mean the biggest fight in the world. crusade against those in power for decades.
For its critics, it is Reckless display of ego And it reveals that leaders are more interested in projecting themselves as champions of global morality than in effectively governing their own countries.
Colombian Ambassador in Washington; Daniel Garcia Peñapraised Petro for pushing the necessary debate on the world stage.
“I think he’s on the right side of history,” he said from his home in Bogotá after Petro briefly called him for advice during a recent diplomatic dispute.
“In my opinion, he was very, very brave in standing up for his beliefs and having the courage to speak his mind.”
However, Petro’s former education minister Alejandro GaviriaHe said he may have “genuine concerns” for humanity but “has not internalized the consequences”, saying he opposed the government’s proposed health measures and resigned in early 2023. influence There is no impact on Colombia either. ”
This tension between ambition and diplomacy has characterized recent conflicts with Washington.
The United States revoked his visa in September after President Trump urged him not to follow American soldiers during a rally in support of Palestine in New York.
Since then, the Trump administration has stepped up operations to destroy ships and kill crew members on suspicion of drug trafficking.
Many legal experts say this is an execution. Extralegal.
The attack began in the Caribbean but spread to the eastern Pacific, with Petro saying the affected vessels They transported Colombians.
After accusing the United States of killing a Colombian fisherman, President Trump threatened aid cuts and tariffs and slammed Petro. drug lord It imposed the harshest sanctions in the U.S. arsenal against Petro, his family, and the Interior Minister.
The standoff earned Petro praise from the global left but alarmed many at home, where Colombia relies on the United States for trade and counter-drug cooperation.
Critics say his foreign policy approach is: More ideological than practical.
According to Gaviria, Peter believes he is expressing a truth that no one else is expressing.
Former Minister of the Environment Susana Muhammadsaid that caution was never Peter’s style.
“His entire political career was based on taking risks,” he said.
“We walk to the edge of the abyss to drive change, create tension, and uncover what is really going on.”
Petro, the son of a government auditor and a housewife, joined M-19, a left-wing paramilitary group, at the age of 17, horrified by the poverty near his home on the outskirts of Bogotá.
M-19 is smaller than the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which operated from regional bases and raised funds through drug trafficking. Urban students, activists, and artists They challenged what they considered an elite oligarchy.
The group attempted to cultivate an image of robin hood, They stole milk from tanker trucks and distributed it to poor areas.
Although not as ruthless as other rebel groups, they carried out one of the deadliest acts in Colombia’s decades-long conflict.
In 1985, 94 people were killed in clashes between police and the military during the siege of the National Judiciary Building.
Petro, who was imprisoned at the time for being a member of M-19, was not involved, but says he was. tortured in prison.
He then helped negotiate a peace agreement between the group and the government in 1990, transforming M-19 into a political party, emphasizing equality and human rights, and helping draft the 1991 Colombian constitution, considered one of the most successful byproducts of the peace process.
Peter soon entered Congress, where he gained notoriety for his revelations. Connections between militias and politiciansThe revelations led to dozens of charges and made him a powerful enemy in a country polarized by left-wing guerrillas, right-wing militias and complex wars between states.
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While he won the admiration of progressives, he attracted the distrust of conservatives who remained convinced that deep down, Peter was a powerful man. Left-wing rebels who refuse to compromise.
In a country where class hierarchies are literally codified, with neighborhoods ranked from 1 to 6 from poorest to richest, Petro challenged Colombia’s hereditary elite.
He embraced the image of an outsider, wearing jeans and an open-necked shirt, quoting: Foucaultdescribes himself as an intellectual and a man of the people.
as Mayor of Bogotá From 2012 to 2015, he lowered public transportation fares and subsidized water for the poor, solidifying his progressive reputation but dissatisfied with critics who saw him as an idealist uninterested in the day-to-day demands of running a vast, chaotic city.
In 2022, he was elected president, a milestone that made him Colombia’s first left-wing leader and one of the country’s most important. conservative Originated in Latin America, which has attracted worldwide attention.
He promised big social and economic changes, but critics say he hasn’t kept his promises.
He has promoted land redistribution and environmental initiatives, but his popularity has plummeted as his efforts to achieve lasting peace in a country scarred by decades of bloodshed stall.
Conservative critics have criticized his past as a guerrilla and his closeness to Venezuela’s authoritarian government, and for giving former combatants a formal role in the peace process.
Disillusionment is spreading even on the left.
“His management was disastrous,” said Maria Jimena Duzan, a prominent Colombian journalist who supported his candidacy.
“Many of their policies were very good and truly innovative, but they were never implemented.”
Known for his bold initiatives and authoritarian tendencies, he has often clashed with advisers, including García Peña, who resigned as head of international relations after calling Petro a “tyrant” and over the firing of another official.
Peter then appointed him ambassador to the United States.
Mr. Petro’s long and often derailed speeches, at times steeped in conspiracy theories, deepen the perception that his presidency is adrift.
He has warned that a Dubai-based criminal network is targeting him, and police say they lack conclusive evidence.
In a lengthy post to Trump in January, Trump referred to “black neighborhoods in Washington.” paul simonto the Egyptian pharaohs and their experience with gastritis.
Mr Dusan asked if substance abuse was behind his long absences and incoherent social media posts.
The former minister also publicly denounced drug use.
Petro denied it, replying, “My only addiction is coffee.”
His supporters say attempts to paint him as erratic or incompetent are part of a concerted reaction by political and media elites resentful of his power.
But while Petro has long been a target of elites, he goes a step further: “He feels like everyone is always after him,” said Federico Gómez Lara, director of a Colombian political magazine. change.
The conflict between Petro and Trump has divided Colombians on whether to confront or appease Washington.
García-Peña argued that appeasement policies have failed in other countries, saying: rebellion De Petro has been praised at home and abroad.
But Gaviria acknowledged that there are concerns among Bogotá’s leaders.
“I feel that the environment is becoming increasingly unstable,” he said.
“That Peter has no more limits.”
Officials have been eager to downplay the dispute with Trump, calling it a problem. Misunderstanding.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said Petro was “obsessed with the fight against drug trafficking,” while Interior Minister Armando Benedetti declared: “Our biggest failure was not getting that message across to President Trump.”
But Gomez Lara believes the president relishes confrontation.
“Gustavo Petro has always been guided by the logic of conflict,” he said.
“You need an enemy for it to work.
First it was the militias, then the political class, then Netanyahu,” he said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Now it’s Donald Trump,” he said.
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