'I don't shake hands with white slavers': Colombian President's brutal attack on Donald Trump amid tariff war

Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote a rather lengthy critique of US President Donald Trump, just hours after giving into his tariff threats.

On Sunday, US said that Colombia has agreed to take flights carrying deported migrant from America after Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime US partner.

Following this, Petro put out a long post on X describing Trump as a “white slave owner” and saying that he won't "shake hands with him".

"Trump, I don't really like travelling to the US, it's a bit boring, but I confess that there are some commendable things. I like going to the black neighbourhoods of Washington, where I saw an entire fight in the US capital between blacks and Latinos with barricades, which seemed like nonsense to me, because they should join together.

He said that he likes artists and poets like Walt Whitman, Paul Simon and Noam Chomsky, adding that that Sacco and Vanzetti (Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti), who have his blood, are memorable in the history of US and he follows them.

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, all v una lucha entera en la capital de los EEUU entre negros y latinos con barricadas, que me pareci una pendejada,

Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 26, 2025

"They (Sacco and VanzettiP were murdered by labor leaders with the electric chair, the fascists who are within the USA as well as within my country," he said.

He challenged Trump to carry out the economic coup with his arrogance but vowed to resist him.

"I don't like your oil, Trump, you're going to wipe out the human species because of greed. Maybe one day, over a glass of whiskey, which I accept, despite my gastritis, we can talk frankly about this, but it's difficult because you consider me an inferior race and I'm not, nor is any Colombian.

"So if you know someone who is stubborn, that's me, period. You can try to carry out a coup with your economic strength and your arrogance, like they did with Allende. But I will die in my law, I resisted torture and I resist you. I don't want slavers next to Colombia, we already had many and we freed ourselves. What I want next to Colombia are lovers of freedom. If you can't accompany me, I'll go elsewhere," he said.

Petro added that Colombia is the heart of the world and Trump does not understand that.

"You will kill me, but I will survive in my people, which is before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, the mountains, the Caribbean Sea and of freedom. You don't like our freedom, okay. I don't shake hands with white slavers. I shake hands with the white libertarian heirs of Lincoln and the black and white farm boys of the USA, at whose graves I cried and prayed on a battlefield, which I reached after walking the mountains of Italian Tuscany and after being saved from Covid," he said.

He said that these are the true representatives of America and he kneels before them and no one else.

The Colombian President challenged Trump, declaring that Colombia no longer relies on the US and will turn its focus to the world.

He emphasized Colombia's rich cultural heritage, linking it to ancient civilizations like the Caliphate of Córdoba, the Roman Latins, and the resistance of African slaves.

He invoked the legacy of Latin American hero Simón Bolívar and reminded Trump of the historical significance of Colombia, including its role in the creation of the Panama Canal and the struggles over its sovereignty.

The President vowed that Colombia would not be intimidated by any US blockade, reaffirming the nation's commitment to freedom, dignity, and independence.

He also announced a reciprocal tariff on US goods in response to a 50% tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Colombian exports, specifically fruit. “From today on, Colombia is open to the entire world,” he declared, promoting the country’s role as a builder of freedom and humanity.