Columbia Watch

Colombian election loser threatens ‘civil disobedience’ if winner does not ditch US citizenship– abcnews.com

pgnewser July 1, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

BOGOTA, Colombia — A Colombian senator, who recently lost the nation’s presidential election, said Tuesday he will not recognize his opponent, Abelardo de la Espriella, as the nation’s new head of state, if he does not comply with several demands, including renouncing his U.S. citizenship.

In a statement issued Tuesday, progressive senator Iván Cepeda urged de la Espriella, the winner of June’s presidential runoff, to renounce his U.S. citizenship, arguing that holding it while being Colombia’s president could generate conflicts of interest.

The senator also said that de la Espriella should clarify whether he is an “agent” of the United States, because as a criminal defense lawyer he defended a former paramilitary leader who was an informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Columbian “Trump” Wins – thebethlehem.com

pgnewser June 25, 2026 0

The Columbian Trump, Abelardo de la Espriella, has won a close election against his leftist opponent, Senator Ivan Cepeda. The victory was by less than 1%. The election is being contested, but the U.S. has already thrown its support behind the pro-U.S. de la Espriella.

Go Deeper

Will Colombia Follow Its Neighbors and Make a Right-Wing Comeback? – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

pgnewser March 10, 2026 0

Blurb:

Colombia has always been a conservative, right-leaning country, but in 2022, it elected the former guerilla turned socialist wacko Gustavo Petro. It hasn’t had a good time ever since, whether it’s been economic struggles or the fact that el presidente has attempted to curb violence in the country by sharing hugs and popsicles and rainbows with terrorist groups through his “total piece” plan.

When he’s not doing any of that, he’s usually on social media talking about how well he can please a woman or how great he is at writing erotic poetry. Occasionally, he throws in some anti-United States, anti-Israel, or anti-Donald Trump diatribe about imperialism. When he’s not on social media, he’s giving erratic speeches and chaotic interviews, or visiting the United States, where he likes to make a fool of himself. He’s been in our country three times over the past six months.

The first time, he stood outside the UN on the streets of New York with Roger Waters and called for the U.S. military to rise up against Donald Trump. The State Department threatened to take away his visa, though it’s not clear now whether it ever did. The second time was earlier this year when he reluctantly called Donald Trump up for an in-person meeting after he saw what Trump did to Petro’s pal, Nicolás Maduro. Trump made him use the back door. The third time was this past Friday when he spoke at Jesse Jackson’s funeral, and by spoke, I mean carried on so long that he had to be shuffled off the stage.

Colombia’s Socialist Leader Vows to ‘Take Up Arms Again’ to Fight Trump– slaynews.com

pgnewser January 11, 2026 0

Blurb:

Colombia’s socialist leader Gustavo Petro has claimed he’s prepared to “take up arms” to fight against President Donald Trump.

Petro published a lengthy, early-morning social media post on Monday, in which he also accused Trump of issuing “illegitimate threats” toward Bogotá.

The Colombian president is a self-described socialist and former member of the now-defunct M19 guerrilla organization.

He invoked his past involvement with the group while warning that detaining him would “unleash the jaguar of the people.”

US strike on Columbia now? After Venezuela, Donald Trump threatens action against Bogota; calls President Petro ‘a sick man’– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

pgnewser January 5, 2026 0

Blurb:

US President Donald Trump on Sunday openly threatened possible military action against Colombia, saying such a move “sounds good to me”.His comments come just a day after the United States carried out an operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and transporting them to New York to face federal charges.

‘They Won’t Survive’: GOP Lawmakers Reveal 2 New Trump Targets After Maduro Operation

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump launched a sharp attack on Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, accusing his government of producing and exporting cocaine to the United States.“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,” Trump said.

‘Illegal drug dealer’: Trump accuses Colombian president of doing worse than nothing about drug cartels– www.theblaze.com

pgnewser October 22, 2025 0

Blurb:

While most eyes have been directed either overseas or toward other domestic scandals, President Trump has continued to crack down on drug cartels and their supporters in the Western Hemisphere.

The latest crackdown focuses on Colombia’s president and his alleged connection with drug smugglers and producers.

‘The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc.’

Gustavo Petro sworn in as Colombia's president | Politics News ...

US designates Colombia as failing to cooperate in the drug war for first time in nearly 30 years– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

Gustavo Petro sworn in as Colombia's president | Politics News ...

US designates Colombia as failing to cooperate in the drug war for first time in nearly 30 years– www.cbsnews.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

The Trump administration on Monday added Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years, a stinging rebuke to a traditional U.S. ally that reflects a recent surge in cocaine production and fraying ties between the White House and the country’s leftist president.

Even as it determined that Colombia had failed to comply with its international counternarcotics obligations, the Trump administration issued a waiver of sanctions that would have triggered major aid cuts, citing vital U.S. national interests.

Nonetheless, it is a major step against one of the United States’ staunchest allies in Latin America, and it could further hamper efforts to restore security in the countryside, according to Adam Isacson, a security researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he regretted the decision, which overlooked decades of bloodshed by Colombian security forces and civilians all in the name of a U.S.-led drug war.

US adds Colombia to list of nations failing to cooperate in drug war– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

US adds Colombia to list of nations failing to cooperate in drug war– www.washingtonexaminer.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

The Trump administration added Colombia to a list of countries failing to cooperate in the war on drugs for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The designation reflects the deteriorating relations between the United States and one of its closest Latin American allies. Trump’s vision has repeatedly clashed with that of the left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, whose soft-handed approach to cocaine production has failed to stop the skyrocketing of cocaine cultivation. In a presidential determination, Trump laid the deterioration in relations squarely at Petro’s feet.

Soldiers patrol a street in El Carmelo, Colombia, a day after a deadly attack on a police station that authorities blame on a dissident faction of the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

“The failure of Colombia to meet its drug control obligations over the past year rests solely with its political leadership,” Trump said, bashing Petro’s government for not decreasing production and criticizing his “failed attempts to seek accommodations with narco-terrorist groups.”

Columbia Puts Ex-President under House Arrest

pgnewser August 12, 2025 0

Colombia Sentences Conservative Ex-President Álvaro Uribe to 12 Years House Arrest– www.breitbart.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

A court in Colombia sentenced conservative former President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe Vélez over the weekend to 12 years of house arrest on charges of abuse of procedure and bribery of a public official.

Additionally, Uribe was banned from holding public office for 100 months and 20 days. He must also pay the Colombian state a fine equivalent to 2,420 minimum wages, which translates to over 3.4 billion Colombian pesos (roughly $840,000).

Colombian Judge Sandra Heredia read the sentence on Friday, days after the judge found Uribe guilty of two out of three charges that the former president stood accused of throughout a highly convoluted and lengthy trial process that Colombian politicians and several senior U.S. government members denounced as a sham.

Colombia charges 15-year-old with attempted murder of presidential candidate– abcnews.go.com

pgnewser June 11, 2025 0

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Excerpt:

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian authorities on Tuesday charged a 15-year-old with attempted murder for the assasination attempt on Miguel Uribe, the conservative presidential candidate who was shot in the head this weekend and is now in critical condition.

The Attorney General’s office said the teenager shot at Uribe during a rally in Bogota’s Modelia neighborhood and was captured fleeing the scene with a gun. The teenager, whose name has not been released, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently recovering in a hospital from leg wounds.

Colombia’s Defense Minister said on Tuesday that authorities are still investigating who may have been behind the attack on Uribe, a 39-year-old senator and one of the nation’s most visible opposition figures.

Armed groups in Colombia frequently recruit minors for assassinations and other crimes, a practice driven by the lenient penalties they face under Colombian law. The teenager charged with attempted murder on Tuesday faces up to eight years in detention. A judge has ordered his detention at a juvenile center once he leaves hospital.

The attack on Uribe has been widely condemned in Colombia, where many voters are concerned about the country’s deteriorating security situation.

Colombian Leaders Demand Impeachment, Embarrassed by Socialist President’s Trump Feud– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser January 28, 2025 0

Colombian Leaders Demand Impeachment, Embarrassed by Socialist President’s Trump Feud– www.breitbart.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Politicians across the political spectrum in Colombia panned far-left President Gustavo Petro’s short-lived “trade war” with President Donald Trump and are calling for his impeachment and urging Congress to investigate his actions.

Petro prompted a brief diplomatic crisis on Sunday following his abrupt refusal to accept a U.S. deportation flight of Colombian migrants under grounds that the United States treats “Colombian migrants as criminals.”

President Trump responded to Petro’s actions by announcing he would impose a series of sanctions and tariffs on Colombia. Petro responded to Trump by delivering one of his characteristically long, incoherent Twitter rants, which have become a common occurrence under his administration.

Colombian Leaders Embarrassed by President Petro After Backing Down from Trump Threats– townhall.com

pgnewser January 28, 2025 0

Colombian Leaders Embarrassed by President Petro After Backing Down from Trump Threats– townhall.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Colombian political leaders are calling for the impeachment of President Gustavo Petro, citing his recent public feud with President Donald Trump as a source of national embarrassment. Critics argue that Petro’s short-lived “trade war” with Trump damaged Colombia’s international reputation, particularly in its relations with the United States. The controversy stemmed from Petro refusing deportation flights from the U.S., which resulted in Trump threatening the nation with harsh tariffs. Petro then tried to turn the table on Trump and threaten him with a 50 percent tariff on U.S. goods.