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“Cooperate or…”: In the confrontation with Colombia, Donald Trump’s strong message to the world

“Cooperate or…”: In the confrontation with Colombia, Donald Trump’s strong message to the world

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Washington DC:

Not even a week after taking office, US President Donald Trump played his promised tariff card to navigate a complex diplomatic curve and deepen his “America First” policy. However, the subject of his ire was not China, Mexico or Canada (his frequent targets), but Colombia, one of the United States’ closest allies in South America.

Colombia entered Trump’s line of fire after it refused to allow two U.S. warplanes carrying immigrants deported from the United States to land because the planes carrying them were military, not civilian. The South American nation’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, said he would only accept citizens “with dignity,” for example on civilian planes, rejecting two US military planes.

This was enough of a trigger for the president of the United States to drop the hammer and give Colombia an example. It responded by threatening sanctions of 25 percent that would quickly increase to 50 percent against Latin America’s fourth-largest economy. In addition to the economic measures, Trump said the United States would introduce a travel ban and “immediate visa revocations” on Colombian government officials, as well as its allies and supporters.

Initially, Petro tried to fight back and impose his own tariffs on American products, but by the end of the volatile Sunday, he had backed down. Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said in an evening news conference that his country had “overcome the impasse” and would accept the returned citizens.

Trump’s message to the world

Since taking office, Trump has been seen prioritizing immigration crackdowns over trade measures, one of his main campaign promises. But by announcing his first major tariff threat, Trump appears to be warning both his allies and adversaries that if they do not cooperate with his “America First” agenda, the consequences could be serious.

He took advantage of the occasion to emphasize that his actions aim to protect the “sovereignty” of the United States and make the world “respect” its authority.

After Colombia accepted “all illegal aliens” without restrictions, the White House said in a statement: “Today’s events make clear to the world that the United States is respected again.”

“President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty and expects all other nations in the world to cooperate fully in agreeing to the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States,” the statement added.

In the midst of all the economic warfare, Trump even went ahead and shared a photo of himself on Truth Social, where he is seen wearing a fedora hat next to a sign that read “FAFO.” The acronym is widely associated with the phrase “F*** around, find out”, which is often used as a warning that one’s actions will have consequences.

Changing global relationships

Even after backtracking, Petro made sure to tell Donald Trump that he didn’t like him or his immigration policies. In a lengthy response on

He went on to describe himself as “stubborn” and said that while Trump could try to “pull off a coup” with “economic muscle and arrogance,” he would fight back.

Every year, thousands of migrants from around the world enter the United States after traveling through Colombia through the Darien Gap, a key point just north of the Panama-Colombia border. The United States’ retaliatory measures will undoubtedly make it more difficult for the Trump administration to work with Colombia to stop this pattern.

President Petro alluded to this in his response, noting that if talks on managing migration through the Darien were suspended, “illegal activities will increase.”

“As of today, Colombia is open to the entire world, with open arms,” ​​he said in what could be seen as a veiled threat that more undocumented immigrants will be on the way.

In addition to tariff threats to Colombia, the United States is also seeing diplomatic fallout from other Latin American nations. While Mexico has expressed concern about the use of military aircraft for deportations, Brazil has expressed concern about the treatment of deported migrants, some of whom were allegedly handcuffed during the flight out of the United States.

Trade threats can backfire

If Trump follows through with his tariff threats, his sanctions could lead to higher prices for American consumers. The United States imports about 27 percent of its coffee from Colombia worth nearly $2 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It also imports other goods such as bananas, crude oil, avocados and flowers.

Importers could turn to other sources to avoid this, which would affect Colombian producers by reducing a key market, adding stress to an already fragile global trade environment.




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