Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he believes the Trump administration revoked his visa months after a tense standoff with his U.S. counterpart.
Petro discussed the matter when explaining why he did not attend the spring meetings hosted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington D.C.
"I can no longer go because I believe they took away my visa," Petro said. He then clarified he "didn't need to have one" to attend the meetings, but took the opportunity to take a jab at President Donald Trump: "I've already seen Donald Duck several times, so I'll go see other things," Petro said, perhaps using the name of the Disney character as a reference to the U.S. president.
The State Department refused to deny or confirm the status of Petro's visa to the New York Post, with a spokesperson citing the confidentiality of such records.
Petro's was the first high-profile rift of Trump's second administration, starting after the Colombian president refused to receive U.S. deportees being transported in military aircraft, demanding the U.S. establish protocols ensuring deportees are treated with dignity.
In retaliation, Trump announced emergency measures, including a 25% tariff on Colombian imports, travel bans, visa revocations, and enhanced inspections of Colombian nationals and goods. Petro answered back by imposing reciprocal tariffs and criticizing U.S. policies, describing Trump as a "slaveholder" and pledging to resist.
Shortly after, however, both countries had reached a resolution, with Colombia agreeing to accept deported nationals without restrictions and the U.S. suspending tariffs and sanctions, contingent on compliance
Originally published on Latin Times
