Trump And Colombia's Petro Make Amends After Previous Jabs
5 weeks ago
After months of trading barbs, U.S. President Donald Trump met Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House on Tuesday (February 3).
The closed‑door talks in Washington lasted around two hours, with no media present and no major agreements announced — but both leaders had warm words for each other.
"We got along very well. He and I weren't exactly the best of friends, but I was insulted because I never met him. I didn't know him at all. And we got along very well. And now we are. We're working on that."
Some analysts and advisers had questioned whether the two would get along given their monthslong hostility, and that they represent radically different ideologies.
Trump had called Petro an “illegal drug leader,” though he provided no evidence, and Petro, a former anti-imperialist guerrilla, has called U.S. operations in Latin America “war crimes.”
Petro was invited to Washington after a January phone call they both described positively, in a surprise thaw of relations.
And while on Tuesday, neither leader clearly said they reached any concrete agreement...
Petro said the meeting was one of shared values:
"The impression I have from a recent meeting just a few hours ago is positive. First and foremost, that is the reality."
"Looking at the photos of the presidents of the United States, Lincoln, was there in the picture: Freedom. We can be very different civilizationally speaking, historically speaking. But what unites us is freedom. And that is where the conversation began."
Trump also told reporters the two leaders were working on sanctions, without elaborating.
Petro is under US sanctions for alleged but unproven links to the drug trade, which he denies.
The closed‑door talks in Washington lasted around two hours, with no media present and no major agreements announced — but both leaders had warm words for each other.
"We got along very well. He and I weren't exactly the best of friends, but I was insulted because I never met him. I didn't know him at all. And we got along very well. And now we are. We're working on that."
Some analysts and advisers had questioned whether the two would get along given their monthslong hostility, and that they represent radically different ideologies.
Trump had called Petro an “illegal drug leader,” though he provided no evidence, and Petro, a former anti-imperialist guerrilla, has called U.S. operations in Latin America “war crimes.”
Petro was invited to Washington after a January phone call they both described positively, in a surprise thaw of relations.
And while on Tuesday, neither leader clearly said they reached any concrete agreement...
Petro said the meeting was one of shared values:
"The impression I have from a recent meeting just a few hours ago is positive. First and foremost, that is the reality."
"Looking at the photos of the presidents of the United States, Lincoln, was there in the picture: Freedom. We can be very different civilizationally speaking, historically speaking. But what unites us is freedom. And that is where the conversation began."
Trump also told reporters the two leaders were working on sanctions, without elaborating.
Petro is under US sanctions for alleged but unproven links to the drug trade, which he denies.
