Colombian President Gustavo Petro slammed the Trump administration after the surfacing of an AI image showing him in an orange jumpsuit in a document held by a U.S. official in the Oval Office.
"They have us in a magazine with an orange jumpsuit (...) they want to disappear this popular alternative so I don't win the 2026 elections again and they want to do it violently," Petro said.
France24 reported that the picture appeared in a document that featured the seal of U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno, who was born in Colombia and is a staunch detractor of Petro's government. The official holding the document is James Blair, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs.
Colombian magazine Cambio, which first reported the image, also claimed that a text along with the picture read "The Trump doctrine." The outlet claimed that the document details steps needed to capture Petro, including "designating other cartels as terrorist organizations" and "initiate a thorough investigation about Petro's campaign and foreign financing."
Petro reacted further to the image, saying the image was "completely disrespectful to the Colombian people." "They are not seeking to end cartels. On the contrary, politicians of the Colombian far right tied to mafias have gone to the U.S. looking to destroy the Colombian government just because it's progressive," Petro added. "They seek to homogenize Latin America as the obedient servant of a government that does not respect sovereignty and democracy."
Elsewhere, France24 added that the government considered recalling its ambassador as a result. Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo said the government considered recalling the ambassador "due to the gravity of the revelations made in the press." A final decision has not been made, with Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio saying the government intends to "keep good relations with the U.S."
"It is clear to us that we want to maintain cordiality despite the differences and avoid all these debates taking place in public so we can have a direct dialogue," she added.
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