WASHINGTON: On December 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that any foreign country found trafficking illegal drugs into the United States could be subject to U.S. military attack.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump singled out cocaine originating from Colombia as a primary concern. “Anybody that’s doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack,” he said.
The statement comes against the backdrop of recent U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific allegedly linked to drug trafficking. The Trump administration has blamed certain foreign governments notably Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro for facilitating narcotics exports to the U.S., though Maduro has denied such allegations.
In a strongly worded response on X, Colombian President Gustavo Petro invited Trump to “come to Colombia” and witness the country’s destruction of drug-processing sites. Petro said that Colombia dismantles nine cocaine laboratories a day, one every 40 minutes without missiles, adding that any threat to Colombia’s sovereignty would “awaken the jaguar” and amount to a declaration of war.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration while stressing its commitment to curbing narcotics flow did not specify which countries beyond Venezuela might be targeted, or when such strikes might be carried out.
The escalating rhetoric has rattled diplomatic circles and raised fears of growing instability in regions already fraught with complex drug-trafficking networks. Some analysts warn that such threats, even if not immediately acted upon, may strain relations between the U.S. and key Latin American partners.
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