BOGOTA, Oct 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Donald Trump and the president of Colombia engaged in a war of words on Wednesday, trading threats of "very serious action" and lawsuits as relations between the once-allied nations hit a new low.

Trump branded Gustavo Petro a "thug" and has suggested he is a drug trafficker who was leading his country to ruin, prompting the leftist Colombian leader to say: "I will defend myself legally with American lawyers in the US courts."

Trump on Wednesday said aid to Colombia had been cut and his defense secretary announced an airstrike on an alleged drug boat off the Pacific coast.

The US president later vented at Petro: "He better watch it or we'll take very serious action against him and his country."

In response, Petro blasted what he called "slanders that have been thrown at me in the territory of the United States by high-ranking officials."

"When our help is needed to fight drug trafficking, US society will have it."