Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted a detailed statement on X over the past hour through 7:15 a.m. UTC on Jan. 5, 2026, responding to President Donald Trump's recent words and Sen. Marco Rubio's claims, defending his role as supreme commander of military and police forces under Colombia's 1991 constitution and highlighting his anti-cocaine initiatives. Petro stated he would address Trump's comments after verifying their translation by national press, accusing Rubio of misinformation influenced by Colombian politicians linked to drug trafficking interests that seek to rupture U.S.-Colombia relations. He noted ordering the removal of several intelligence colonels for providing false information against the state, according to his X post. Petro referenced his background with the M19 movement, which laid down arms to participate in electing a National Constituent Assembly that drafted the 1991 constitution establishing a social state of law. As supreme commander, he claimed to have ordered the world's largest cocaine seizure, halted coca crop growth, and initiated a voluntary substitution plan for 30,000 hectares of coca crops as a public policy priority, per the statement. The response comes amid U.S. statements on Latin American issues, including President Trump's prior comments on Venezuelan oil impacting Cuba, as reported through 3:45 a.m. UTC.
