‘Yankees go home’: Colombian protesters decry Trump’s military threats
Thousands of Colombians have held demonstrations nationwide to denounce US President Donald Trump’s threats of a Venezuela-style military attack against their country.
The protests in the South American country took place on Wednesday in several cities, including the capital of Bogota, Medellin and Cucuta, in response to Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s call for a “day of national mobilization” to defend the country’s sovereignty.
Waving the national flag, the participants chanted slogans such as “Long live free and sovereign Colombia.”
They also held signs reading, “The US is the biggest threat to world peace,” “Yankees go home,” and “Petro is not alone.”
A Colombian protester said, “Trump is the devil … he’s the most abhorrent person in the world.”
Another marcher called Trump “the president of war … he’s a maniac,” urging the US Congress to “do something to get him out of the presidency.”
On Sunday, Trump described Petro, whom he accused of involvement in cocaine trafficking, as a "sick man." The US president further suggested that a military intervention against Colombia, which has substantial oil reserves like Venezuela, "sounds good to me."
In response, Petro warned that he would “take up arms” himself if the US launched any military action against his homeland.
"If you detain a president whom much of my people want and respect, you will unleash the people's jaguar," the Colombian president said in a post on X.
The war of words came after the US military carried out illegal strikes on Venezuela, and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their residence in the capital, Caracas.
Trump accused Maduro of trafficking drugs into the US, a charge vehemently rejected by the Venezuelan president.
US Energy Secretary Wright said Washington will control Venezuelan oil flows “indefinitely,” with revenues deposited into accounts controlled by the United States government.
Addressing protesters in downtown Bogota, Petro said he had spoken with Trump for roughly one hour.
“I talked about two things: Venezuela and the issue of drug trafficking,” he told the crowd. “What happened in Venezuela was, in my opinion, illegal.”
In a statement, Colombia's Embassy in the US said the country "welcomes the constructive tone of the exchange" between Trump and Petro, and "remains committed to open dialogue."
Statement pic.twitter.com/rBZEwOO2PJ
— Embassy of Colombia in the United States (@ColombiaEmbUSA) January 8, 2026
Meanwhile, Trump appeared to strike a change in tone late on Wednesday after a phone call with Petro, and announced that he will meet his Colombian counterpart at the White House in the "near future."
Trump has also warned other Latin American countries, including Cuba and Mexico, in the wake of the Venezuelan operation.
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