US-Colombia drug boat dispute: Gustavo Petro sparks controversy with 'fire Trump' remark

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has sparked controversy by suggesting that US President Donald Trump could be “replaced” if necessary to achieve better diplomatic outcomes. Petro later clarified on X that he was not threatening Trump, but rather pushing for a change in his policy. US President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro(AFP) Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has sparked controversy with comments about US President Donald Trump, suggesting the US leader could be replaced if necessary to achieve better diplomatic outcomes. During an interview with Univision’s Daniel Coronell, Petro said, according to The New York Post report, “Humanity has a first discount, which is to choose to change Trump in various ways. The easiest way may be through Trump himself. If not – get rid of Trump.” Petro explains comments After the interview, Petro took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify that he was not issuing a threat. “I didn’t threaten Trump, I just said that Trump needs to change his heart, from defending death policies in the world like the genocide in Palestine, to life policies,” he wrote. He added: “If there is no such change, the American people themselves will change Trump, because one cannot go to general suicide.” He further emphasized the democratic principle and said: “In the 21st century, some believe that they can become kings and viceroys, but in republics this is not possible. Here, the heads of kings are cut off if they come with a king’s attitude.” Dispute over US strikes on alleged drug boats The tension between the two leaders stems from a September 15 US strike on an alleged drug boat in Colombian waters. Trump defended the strike, saying it targeted “confirmed narco-terrorists from Venezuela” operating in international waters. However, Petro insisted the boat was Colombian and used for fishing, claiming that US forces violated Colombian sovereignty. “US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. The Colombian boat was afloat and had its distress signal due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government,” he said on X. Trump says Petro Trump slammed Petro on Sunday, labeling him a “very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth to America and the strong mouth of the production of drugs” drugs.”