Colombian President Gustavo Petro caused strong international reaction on Tuesday (23) with a blistering address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. In a speech filled with criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, Petro’s remarks prompted the immediate departure of the U.S. delegation, which walked out in protest.
Within the first five minutes, cameras captured American diplomats leaving their seats. During his address, Petro denounced the “excessive drug consumption” in the United States, Washington’s decision to decertify his government in the fight against drug trafficking, and U.S. military operations in international waters. He argued that migration is used as “an excuse for a rich, white, and racist society to feel racially superior,” while leading humanity “to the brink of extinction.”
Petro went further, claiming that Trump’s foreign policy toward Colombia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean is “advised by Colombians allied with the cocaine mafia.” He recalled his own career as a senator, when he exposed politicians connected to paramilitaries and drug trafficking: “They tried to kill me many times for that, and now they want me to stay silent as president.”
Responding to the State Department’s decertification, Petro said: “This government seized more cocaine than any other in history, and even so, they decertify me.” He argued Trump had no “human, divine, or rational right” to adopt such a measure, adding that Washington’s stance was hypocritical. He pointed out that former president Iván Duque “had a drug trafficker as a campaign financier and was not decertified.”
Petro also accused the U.S. of causing the deaths of Caribbean youth, possibly Colombian, whose boats were sunk by American missiles in the region. “They were not from Tren de Aragua, nor from Hamas, they were Caribbean,” he said, insisting that there should be criminal prosecution of those responsible, including Trump.
Accusations against Israel
Petro also condemned what he described as genocide in Gaza, holding Israel accountable and accusing Trump of complicity. “This chamber is a silent and complicit witness to genocide,” he declared in a speech that lasted 41 minutes.
The Colombian president was applauded at the end of his remarks. This was Petro’s final participation in the UN General Assembly, as his term ends on August 7, 2026.
