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Colombia has recalled its ambassador to the United States following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to impose higher tariffs on Colombian goods and halt financial support to the South American country. The move, announced on Monday, marks the latest escalation in tensions between Washington and Bogotá, which have deepened following U.S. military strikes on vessels accused of transporting drugs.
The dispute intensified after Trump labelled Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, an “illegal drug leader” during comments on Sunday — remarks that Petro’s government condemned as offensive and unfounded. The Colombian peso dropped 1.4% against the U.S. dollar in early Monday trading, falling to 3,889 pesos.
“Daniel Garcia-Pena, Ambassador of Colombia in the United States of America, has been recalled for consultations by President Gustavo Petro and is now in Bogota,” the Colombian foreign ministry said in a statement. “In the coming hours the national government will inform of the decisions taken.”
Trump’s comments represent a new low in the long-standing partnership between the two nations. The U.S. president has repeatedly accused Colombia of complicity in the illegal drug trade, while Petro has strongly objected to recent U.S. military operations in the Caribbean that have killed dozens of people. Legal and human rights groups have also condemned the strikes.
Trump said he would cut off U.S. financial aid to Colombia and introduce new tariffs, although he did not clarify what funding he was referring to. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington’s main humanitarian aid arm, was closed earlier this year, abruptly halting one of the country’s main sources of U.S. support.
Colombia currently faces a 10% tariff on most exports to the United States — the baseline rate Trump has imposed on many nations. The United States remains Colombia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 35% of Colombian exports, while about 70% of goods imported from the U.S. are items not produced locally.
Colombia’s foreign ministry said it would seek international backing for Petro and the country’s sovereignty. Petro rose to national prominence as a senator after exposing links between right-wing paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, and corrupt politicians.
On Sunday, Petro condemned a new U.S. bombing that killed three people, claiming the targeted vessel belonged to a “humble family” rather than the National Liberation Army rebel group, as asserted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
“Mr. Trump, Colombia has never been rude to the United States … but you are rude and ignorant to Colombia,” Petro said on X. “Since I am not a businessman, I am even less a drug trafficker. There is no greed in my heart.”
Petro has vowed to reduce coca cultivation through a combination of social programmes and military intervention, though progress has been limited. Colombia, a major exporter of oil, coal, coffee, flowers, and bananas, recorded a $338 million trade deficit with the United States between January and July, according to the national statistics agency DANE.
Data from the central bank show that U.S. investors contributed $2.27 billion in the first half of the year, representing 34% of Colombia’s total foreign investment during that period. As diplomatic tensions rise, analysts warn that further economic and political fallout could strain one of the hemisphere’s most critical bilateral relationships.
