Trump invites Colombian president to White House days after threatening it with military strike
Jan 7, 2026, 4:13 PM
Supporters of Colombian President Gustavo Petro attend a rally he called to protest comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, saying the two had exchanged a friendly phone call and that he’d invited the leader of the South American country to the White House.
“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump posted on his social media site Wednesday night. “I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future.” He said that meeting would take place at the White House.
That came mere days after Trump said in the wake of the U.S. operation in Venezuela over the weekend that “Colombia is very sick too” and accused Petro of ”making cocaine and selling it to the United States” before adding: “He’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you.” Asked whether U.S intervention was possible, Trump responded, ”Sounds good to me.”
