"Trump said: 'Colombia is out of control.' Of course, it is out of his control. In a democracy, a government is under the control of the people, not Trump. He is not a king in Colombia, we do not accept kings here, period," Petro stated in an interview with journalist Daniel Coronell from Univision.
The Colombian president also mentioned that "in the 21st century, some believe they can become kings and viceroys, but in republics, it is not possible," and added: "Here, the heads of kings are cut off if they come with a king's attitude."
Last Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in the United States in the largest demonstration since Trump returned to power in January, under the slogan No Kings, alluding to the perception that the president acts like a monarch and recalling that the North American country was founded in 1776 on the rejection of the absolute power of a sovereign.
Petro met on Monday in Bogotá with the Colombian ambassador in Washington, Daniel García-Peña, whom he summoned for consultations to analyze the new diplomatic crisis between both countries. As he mentioned in the interview, he also plans to meet with the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Colombia, John McNamara, who will bring him "official reasons."
The head of state made it clear, however, that he is not willing to make concessions: "I will not concede, I will demand. But if Colombia has already conceded everything, it does not have to concede more," he stated, also mentioning the example of the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, who have remained firm without breaking ties with the U.S.