Last month, Donald Trump called Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, an “illegal drug leader.” That gave Colombians reason to worry: The last country whose president Trump accused of running a drug enterprise was Venezuela, and those accusations served as justification to send a flotilla of warships to lurk by its coasts and blow up boats. Republican officials are now threatening to go to war with Venezuela. If Petro is a drug lord, does that mean that the United States might go to war with Colombia, too?
In an interview with Univision two weeks ago, Petro didn’t appear all that concerned about the prospect. He used the airtime to discuss various other topics, such as his pique at not being invited to the opera singer Andrea Bocelli’s concert in his country. Then, an hour and 20 minutes into the interview, Petro offered what sounded like a Freudian analysis of Trump’s persona, ruminating about genitals and machismo. Toward the end, Petro suggested that David (presumably Colombia) could beat Goliath (presumably America) in a conflict.
Stupefied, the interviewer asked Petro to clarify that his goal was not actually to oust Trump. His goal was negotiation, right? But Petro replied that Trump indeed had to leave, preferably by choice.
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