Trump calls Colombian president a drug lord

US President Donald Trump caused a stir on Sunday, October 19, with a statement about Colombian President Gustavo Petro. In his post on the social network Truth Social, he described the Colombian head of state as a “leader of illegal drug trafficking.” Trump claims that drug production in Colombia is geared toward export to the United States and that the mass sale of drugs in the US causes death, destruction, and chaos.

The President of the United States also announced that his administration plans to stop the large financial payments and subsidies that flow from America to Colombia each year. Trump explained that the aim of this decision was to stop drugs being imported into the US and thus protect the population of his country from their negative consequences.

The measure particularly affects government programs and cooperation in the fight against illegal drugs.

(reuters, sie)