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EXPERT COMMENT

Drugs, migration, China and Venezuela likely to be on the agenda as two outspoken leaders meet in Washington ahead of Colombia’s elections later this year.

Over the past year, US President Donald Trump and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro have exchanged criticism, insults and even apparent threats. On February 3, they will meet at the White House where they are expected to discuss wide-ranging topics including drug trafficking, migration, Colombia’s border security with Venezuela and relations with China. 

The meeting, which has been in preparation for months, is unpredictable due to the personalities of both men, who are known for being outspoken. 

Colombia’s President Petro has been a vocal critic of US foreign policy in Latin America as the Trump administration seeks to revive the Monroe Doctrine. Petro condemned the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and accused the US of committing ‘murder’ in its strikes against vessels allegedly manned by drug traffickers in the Caribbean. He has also criticized the deportation of migrants from the US. 

The Trump administration sees the leftist Colombian president as hostile to its strategy in the Western Hemisphere and its wider Make America Great Again ideology. In line with its new National Security Strategy, Washington has sought to curb migration and combat organized crime and drug trafficking into the US while projecting its influence and expanding its control in the Western Hemisphere. 

The Trump administration has accused Petro’s government of not doing enough to stop the drug trade (accusations Petro denies) and has pressured Bogota to clamp down on drug traffickers and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas who operate in Colombia. Cocaine production in Colombia has reportedly risen to between 2,600 to 3,000 tons in 2024 (although the figures are disputed) while armed groups involved in the drug trade have expanded their territory. 

In September, Washington removed Colombia’s certification that it is doing enough to eliminate cocaine crops. Later that month, the Trump administration revoked Petro and his family’s US visas and included them on the OFAC US Sanctions list. Trump then announced the US would stop sending subsidies to Colombia. 

In December, Trump appeared to threaten Petro when he said that ‘he better wise up or he’ll be next’ in the US’s war on drugs. However, relations appeared to thaw with a phone call earlier this month, and the US granted Petro a temporary visa, paving the way for the February 3 meeting.

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