Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded to President Donald Trump's "emergency" 50% tariffs by imposing equal counter-tariffs. Petro announced the measure just hours after Trump revealed the retaliatory economic sanctions on Sunday.
"Your blockade does not scare me... I am informed that you're imposing a 50% import tariff on us; I do the same," the Colombian President wrote on social media.
Petro's announcement came attached to a lengthy letter addressed to Trump in which he extensively criticized the United States, claiming he would "resist." Petro described Trump and other American leaders as "slaveholders" who saw Colombians as an "inferior race."
"I survived torture, and I will resist you," he wrote. "Make me fall, President, and the Americas and humanity will respond."
Trump, a mi no me gusta mucho viajar a los EEUU, es un poco aburridor, pero confieso que hay cosas meritorias, me gusta ir a los barrios negros de Washington, allí ví una lucha entera en la capital de los EEUU entre negros y latinos con barricadas, que me pareció una pendejada,…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 26, 2025
The dispute broke out after Petro denied the entry of two American aircraft carrying Colombian migrants, claiming he would only accept them once the U.S. government "establishes protocols that guarantee dignity and rights to the deportees."
According to Secretary Marco Rubio, Petro had initially authorized the aircraft to land in Colombia but canceled his authorization once the airplanes were en route.
Trump responded to Petro's decision by announcing tariffs of up to 50% on Colombian imports and immediate visa sanctions for people associated with the Colombian government.
"These measures are just the beginning," Trump wrote. "We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States!"
According to Trump, both repatriation flights carried a "large number of illegal criminals." The Republican president also suggested Petro's denial of the flights "jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States."
Petro later said he would be sending his presidential plane to pick up deportees with dignity. He also pointed out the 15,660 U.S. citizens "established in Colombia" without proper documentation, calling on them to regularize their status.
While some social media users applauded Petro, claiming he was "standing up to Trump" on behalf of Latin America, others, particularly Colombians, criticized him for not thinking twice about the consequences before acting.
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