Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned President Donald Trump on Monday that Colombians will defend him against an "invader."

Responding to Trump's rhetoric, he added that he's "not illegitimate" or "a narco."

In a lengthy statement posted to X in Monday's early hours, Petro portrayed himself as the constitutional "supreme commander" of Colombia's military and police and accused U.S. officials, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, of being fed "false information" by Colombian political interests he claimed are tied to the mafia.

Petro said he has ordered the removal of intelligence colonels for allegedly providing bogus claims "against the state" and urged Rubio not to believe "fallacies."

Petro's rhetoric escalated sharply after Trump, riding high off the dramatic U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, suggested that military action against Colombia "sounds good to me."

Trump has accused Petro of enabling cocaine production and trafficking to the United States — a charge Petro denied, insisting his government carried out record seizures and was reducing coca growth through crop substitution programs.

Petro's post blended defiance with revolutionary language, invoking Colombia's 1991 Constitution and his past membership in the M-19 movement.

He warned that if the U.S. were to arrest Colombia's elected president, it could "unleash the popular jaguar."

Petro said he directed Colombia's security forces to prioritize the national flag over any foreign allegiance and claimed the public force must defend "popular sovereignty."

He even suggested he would take up arms again "for the homeland," despite swearing off weapons after a peace pact decades ago.

Trump issued a clear warning to Petro while briefing reporters on his early Saturday morning takedown order against Maduro.

Trump said Petro needs to "watch his a**."

The 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.

"Well, he has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine, and yeah, I think I stick by my first statement," Trump said. "He's making cocaine. They're sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**."

The confrontation arrives as Washington is already grappling with a volatile mix of foreign-policy and domestic political battles.

CBS News similarly noted lawmakers are returning this week with shutdown fears, healthcare turmoil, and Venezuela fallout colliding at once, with Democrats showing little appetite for dealmaking.

That broader dysfunction, conservatives argue, is exactly what foreign leaders like Petro try to exploit — hoping U.S. political division will dull America's ability to respond to transnational threats like narcotrafficking.

Trump's tougher posture is resonating: The flow of cocaine and cartel-linked corruption is destabilizing the region and fueling illegal migration and overdose deaths in the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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