President Donald Trump issued a clear warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro while briefing reporters on his early Saturday morning takedown order against now former Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro.
Trump said Petro needs to "watch his a**."
His comment followed a question from a reporter who asked the president during the Maduro takedown briefing about his comments directed toward Petro in late December, when Trump warned about illegal drugs from Colombia being smuggled into the U.S.
Trump replied, "Well, he has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine, and yeah, I think I stick by my first statement. He's making cocaine. They're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**."
Trump hosted reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate on December 22 to announce plans for a new naval battleship. During follow-up questions, Trump was asked about Petro's comments that Texas, California, and other parts of the southern United States were "invaded" territories, comments that escalated strained relations between Washington and Bogotá.
"He has to watch [it] because he has drug factories," Trump said. "They make cocaine in Colombia.
"He's no friend of the United States. He's a very bad guy, and he's got to watch his a** because he makes cocaine, and they send it into the United States of America from Colombia."
Trump emphasized his support for the Colombian people while criticizing the country's leadership.
During the Saturday morning briefing with reporters on the arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro on a Department of Justice warrant for narco-terrorism, Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that President Trump does not play games and said the world is changing for the better under his leadership.
Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former Trump defense official Robert Wilkie told Newsmax on Saturday that the apparent collapse of Venezuela's Maduro regime could set off a chain reaction across the western hemisphere, stabilizing the region and reversing mass migration into the United States.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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