President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested the United States could take action against Colombia, drawing criticism as he escalated aggression toward leftist governments in Latin America following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking to reporters, Trump accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro without providing evidence and appeared to float the idea of military intervention.
“Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump said. When asked directly whether the U.S. might launch a military operation against Colombia, Trump responded, “It sounds good to me.”
Petro rejected the remarks earlier Sunday, calling them defamatory and dangerous.
“I deeply reject Trump speaking without knowing; my name does not appear in the judicial files on drug trafficking over 50 years, neither from before nor from the present,” Petro said in a statement. He also warned against U.S. threats toward the region, saying, “Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump. That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people’s struggle for Peace in Colombia.”
Trump also took aim at Cuba, a longtime ally of Venezuela, claiming its government was weakened following Maduro’s removal. “Now, they won’t have that money coming in. They won’t have the income coming in,” Trump said, arguing that Havana relied heavily on Venezuelan oil revenue. He claimed Cuban nationals were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela, saying they were attempting to protect Maduro.
Cuban officials said at least 32 Cuban citizens were killed, though they condemned the U.S. operation and denied Trump’s characterization of their role. Human rights advocates have raised concerns about civilian casualties and the broader consequences of the intervention.
In Venezuela, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was appointed interim president by the Supreme Court, which described Maduro’s capture as a kidnapping and accused Washington of violating international law.
Trump said he had not spoken to Rodriguez, adding, “At the right time, I will.”
Maduro and his wife, politician and attorney Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance in federal court in New York on Monday (Jan. 5). Maduro faces charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons offenses. Flores and other senior Venezuelan officials, including Maduro’s son, are also charged in the case. NPR reports that Flores appeared with a bandaged forehead and a swollen right eye, injuries her attorneys suggested may have occurred during the operation. Maduro’s defense team requested medical evaluations, including X-rays, citing possible rib injuries sustained during his arrest.
“Cuba is ready to fall. Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall. I don’t know if they’re going to hold out,” the president told reporters. “But Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it. Cuba is literally read to fall, and you have a lot of great Cuban Americans who are going to be happy about this.”
Trump then turned his attention to Mexico.
“You have to do something with Mexico,” Trump continued. “Mexico has to get their act together, because they’re pouring through Mexico and we’re gonna have to do something. We’d love Mexico to do it, they’re capable of doing it, but unfortunately the cartels are very strong in Mexico.”
He then took things a step further, reiterating his ambitions to overrun Greenland.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said. “We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen swiftly responded to the U.S. president’s remarks.
“The Kingdom of Denmark – and thus Greenland – is part of NATO and is thus covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the USA today, which gives the USA wide access to Greenland. And we have invested significantly on the part of the Kingdom in the security of the Arctic,” he said in a press release.
“I would therefore strongly urge that the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen added.
