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By Jason LemonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberPresident Donald Trump said that "any" country producing drugs could face U.S. military strikes, while specifically mentioning Colombia, as his ongoing strikes targeting alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela face bipartisan concern.
"Anybody that's doing that [manufacturing drugs] and selling it into our country is subject to attack," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Newsweek reached out to Colombia's foreign ministry and embassy in the U.S. for comment via email on Tuesday.
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro responded to Trump's warning in an X post shortly later, writing: "Come to Colombia, Mr. Trump, I invite you, so that you can participate in the destruction of the 9 laboratories we do daily to prevent cocaine from reaching the US."
Why It Matters
The president's remarks come as Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike have raised concerns about the ongoing strikes off the coast of Venezuela.
The strikes have drawn extra scrutiny in recent days after a Washington Post article reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike to kill survivors from an initial strike, which critics say would constitute a "war crime" if true. GOP and Democratic members of Congress have announced reviews of the U.S. military’s actions
...What to Know
Trump issued the warning as he sat with cabinet secretaries during a televised meeting with reporters on Tuesday. The president's remarks came in response to a journalist's questions about the Venezuela strikes.
"If they come through a certain country, or any country, or if we think they're building mills for, whether it's fentanyl or cocaine," Trump said during a televised cabinet meeting on Tuesday. "I hear the country of Colombia is making cocaine, they have cocaine manufacturing plants... Anybody that's doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack," he warned.
"Not, just Venezuela," the president added when pressed by a reporter.
Trump also said that the Pentagon would begin conducting strikes on land. Until now, the attacks have only targeted boats in the open water. "We're going start doing those strikes on land too. You know, the land is much easier," he said.
Earlier in the meeting, Hegseth had discussed the strikes as well, saying more are to come. "We’ve only just begun striking narco boats and putting narco terrorists at the bottom of the ocean,” the Defense Secretary said.
Colombian President Responds to Trump
Colombia's president pushed back on Trump's remarks in an X post.
"Without missiles, I have destroyed 18,400 laboratories during my government; come with me and I'll show you how they are destroyed, one laboratory every 40 minutes, but do not threaten our sovereignty, because you will awaken the Jaguar. Attacking our sovereignty is declaring war; do not damage two centuries of diplomatic relations," Petro wrote.
"You have already slandered me; do not continue down that path. If there is a country that has helped stop thousands of tons of cocaine so that North Americans do not consume it, it is Colombia," he added.
Petro and Trump have clashed publicly before, with the U.S. government canceling his visa earlier this year in response to remarks he made to protesters outside the United Nations in New York City.
Outside the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September, the Colombian leader called for an armed force to “free Palestine “ and said that the global force “has to be bigger than that of the United States.”
"That’s why from here, from New York, I ask all the soldiers of the army of the U.S. not to point their rifles at humanity,” Petro said. Continuing, he urges U.S. soldiers to, “disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity.”
The State Department responded on X at the time, writing:, "Earlier today, Colombian president @petrogustavo stood on a NYC street and urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence. We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions."
Petro had previously clashed with the Trump administration on migration and drug trafficking issues. While speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, he criticized Trump, saying he was “complicit in genocide” in Gaza. The Colombian president also called for “criminal proceedings” over the U.S. strikes on suspected drug traffickers in international waters around South America.
What People Are Saying
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, on X Monday: "Fix health insurance. Not regime change in Venezuela." And in a previous November 29 post, she wrote: "Reminder, Congress has the sole power to declare war in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution."
Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, to CNN on Sunday: “These individuals [alleged drug traffickers] don’t care about the lives of our friends and families. Why do we care if we take them out in international water?”
Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, on X Monday: "Pete Hegseth needs to resign or be fired. Now. He’s a walking, talking national security embarrassment. The disastrous and illegal Venezuela strikes—and his refusal to accept responsibility - should be the last straw."
Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly on her podcast: "I really do kind of not only wanna see them killed in the water, whether they're on the boat or in the water, but I'd really like to see them suffer. I would like Trump and Hegseth to make it last a long time so they lose a limb and bleed out."
What Happens Next
The Trump administration's strikes are expected to continue. Whether they expand to additional countries remains to be seen. Bipartisan oversight of the operation will proceed, as some Republican and Democratic lawmakers are pushing Congress to pass a war powers resolution related to the strikes.
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