After the fall of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro at the hands of US forces, President Trump called Colombian president Gustavo Petro a "sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States." Petro responded by accusing Trump of being "an accomplice to genocide" with a "senile brain."

Then, suddenly, things changed. The two leaders exchanged a phone call on January 7th and agreed to meet at the White House, despite the Trump administration having rescinded Petro's visa earlier.

In typical Trump fashion, once he met Petro in person, his tone completely changed. He said after the meeting, “He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted [with Petro’s comments] because I never met him. I didn’t know him at all, and we got along very well." Trump added that the meeting had been “very productive” and “fantastic”, and that they would continue working “on other issues, including sanctions”.

Petro, for his part, praised Trump. “The truth is, I like frank gringos. People who say what they feel." He also playfully added the letter S on Trump's Make America Great Again hat, to read, "Make Americas Great Again."

To dig a litte deeper into Colombia and the history of its relationship with the US, as well as its emerging relationship with China, Jasmine sat down with Colombian analyst Luis Eduardo Gutiérrez Rojas. They talked about Colombia's painful history with the drug wars, how Colombians feel about the US and Trump, the upcoming presidential elections in May and what the future might hold for Colombians.

Episode notes:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/03/colombian-president-and-trump-put-aside-insults-for-amicable-white-house-meeting