President Trump on Tuesday had his first face-to-face encounter with Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Tensions have risen between the two after months of verbal jabs and the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela last month.
Much of their discussion was expected to pertain to Venezuela and drugs in the region.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 3, 2026
NBC News explained further:
The bilateral meeting was expected to include a discussion of topics pertaining to Venezuela, including its border with Colombia, oil and energy, and guarantees about independence during Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections, four people familiar with the planning, including former Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, told NBC News.
Trump told reporters Monday afternoon that he and Petro would talk about narcotics “because tremendous amounts of drugs come out of his country.”
ADVERTISEMENTTrump added that he expected the meeting with Petro, who is term-limited and set to leave office in August, would be “good,” saying Petro “has been very nice over the last month or two.”
“He was certainly critical before that but, somehow, after the Venezuelan raid, he became very nice. He changed his attitude very much,” Trump said.
Petro, a former Marxist revolutionary, has often drawn Trump’s ire, publicly disagreeing with him over Maduro’s capture, the U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific, and the Caribbean and deportations of Colombians from the U.S.
Petro said seizing Maduro was a violation of the region’s sovereignty and characterized the operation as a kidnapping. In response, Trump repeatedly threatened Petro, saying a U.S. military operation in Colombia “sounds good” to him and calling Petro a “sick man” who should “watch his a–.”
“Today I begin my agenda in Washington as Head of State, determined to continue strengthening the relationship between two nations that share a common goal: the fight against drug trafficking, from an approach that prioritizes life and peace in our territories,” Petro said.
Hoy inicio mi agenda en Washington como Jefe de Estado, dispuesto a seguir fortaleciendo la relación entre dos naciones que comparten un mismo objetivo: la lucha contra el narcotráfico, desde un enfoque que priorice la vida y la paz en nuestros territorios.
Me acompaña mi… pic.twitter.com/2r9j4Omo8P
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) February 3, 2026
More from The New York Times:
Mr. Petro’s government said on Monday that it would be reviewing data on what it describes as its success in seizing cocaine, and talking about efforts to help producers replace coca — the base product for cocaine — with other, legal crops.
Mr. Petro’s gifts for Mr. Trump are said to include coffee and chocolate produced as part of crop-substitution efforts.
If the meeting goes smoothly, it will represent an about-face for the two leaders, whose countries have for decades been strong allies.
ADVERTISEMENTJust days after Mr. Trump took office last year, Mr. Petro began challenging him on deportations. He then attacked his position on Israel and Gaza and denounced the U.S. military’s boat strikes on alleged drug traffickers as “murder.”
U.S. officials revoked Mr. Petro’s visa and imposed sanctions on him along with members of his family and his government.
CBS News provided video coverage:
Any suggestions?
