Trump Signals Strikes To Colombia And Others As He Threatens Any Nation 'Trafficking Drugs'

On 2 December 2025, US President Donald Trump warned that any country that traffics drugs into the United States could be attacked.

The warning came during a White House Cabinet meeting where Trump singled out cocaine shipments from Colombia. He told reporters that any nation involved in producing or sending illegal narcotics to the US was 'subject to attack'.

The threat escalates an ongoing US campaign against drug trafficking that has already included deadly strikes on suspected smuggling vessels at sea. The new doctrine casts entire nations, not just criminal groups, as potential targets.

Trump's Expanded Anti-Drug Doctrine

During the meeting, Trump expressed how Colombia 'is making cocaine' and that the existence of cocaine-manufacturing plants there justified potential US action.

He added that the new policy would not be limited to maritime interdiction. Trump indicated the US might target land-based facilities in any country identified as supplying drugs to the United States.

This marks a significant shift in US counter-narcotics strategy. Previous administrations focused on intercepting shipments, dismantling cartels, and strengthening law-enforcement cooperation. The new stance treats entire states or territories as part of the supply chain and thus possible military targets.

The statements arrived as an already aggressive US maritime campaign continues. Since September 2025, the armed forces have carried out at least 21 airstrikes on vessels suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and East Pacific. The strikes have killed at least 83 people, according to official tallies.

Colombian Outrage and Threats of Retaliation

Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, responded within hours. He issued a statement condemning the remarks as a direct threat to the nation's sovereignty, dignity, and territorial integrity.

Petro publicly challenged Trump by inviting him to visit Colombia and witness the destruction of cocaine laboratories, which Bogotá says it dismantles at a rate of one every 40 minutes. The destruction, Petro said, occurs 'without missiles'.

The Colombian president warned, 'Do not threaten our sovereignty, or you will awake the Jaguar'. He framed any external strike against Colombia as a declaration of war.

The earlier fallout from US maritime strikes had already strained bilateral cooperation. In November 2025, Colombia suspended intelligence-sharing with all of US security agencies in protest against the boat attacks.

Diplomatic relations have deteriorated rapidly. In October, Colombia recalled its ambassador after Trump labelled Petro an 'illegal drug leader'.

Implications for US–Latin America Relations

The broader context for Trump's remarks is a wave of US military actions against alleged drug-smuggling vessels across international waters. The strikes began in early September and expanded in October to include the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

US officials have described the missions as targeting 'narco-terrorist' organisations, including those allegedly linked to drug cartels and armed groups in Venezuela and Colombia.

The doctrine announced by Trump risks undermining decades of counter-narcotics cooperation. Colombia was once among the top US partners in such efforts.

Colombia's choice to suspend intelligence cooperation signals a likely rift in shared operations against major drug networks.

Other regional governments may follow suit. Some have already expressed unease with US military tactics in international waters, fearing a slide toward militarised confrontation across the hemisphere.

The strategy also raises the spectre of normalising pre-emptive strikes on sovereign states under the pretext of counter-narcotics. That shift could erode legal norms and destabilise global security frameworks.