Colombian Leader Issues Threat to Trump Over Cartel Crackdown: ‘Don’t Awaken the Jaguar’
by David Lindfield
The leader of Latin America’s top cocaine-exporting nation issued thinly veiled threats against President Donald Trump.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro threatened Trump on Sunday in response to the White House’s escalating campaign against cartel networks across the region.
Petro is a far-left former member of the M-19 Marxist militant group.
He aimed hostile rhetoric at both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a speech.
During the speech, he warned the United States against continuing its aggressive anti-cartel operations.
The Trump administration has reportedly weighed targeted strikes against cartel assets in Mexico and Venezuela following repeated interdictions at sea.
“Beware,” Petro said, according to a translation.
“There are people in the Caribbean who have always been used to hurricanes and can unleash themselves like one…
“Like the legend goes, ‘if the golden eagle attacks the condor, the American people’s jaguar awakens.’
“Don’t awaken the jaguar.
“We can still talk,” he claimed.
“South America can save the U.S. by cleaning up its energy grid.”
The comments mark Petro’s latest escalation against Trump.
It comes even as Colombia remains the world’s largest exporter of cocaine and home to an extensive criminal underworld.
United Nations statistics show Colombia exported a record 2,664 metric tons of cocaine in 2023, far outpacing other nations.
Petro has repeatedly taken aim at the Trump administration’s anti-cartel posture.