Colombian President Gustavo Petro taunted Secretary of State Marco Rubio as tensions between the two countries remain high amid the Trump administration's military buildup in the region and pressure campaign against the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
"So I have to tell Mr. Marco Rubio. Brother, if you're going to put me in prison... let's see if you can. If you want to put the orange jumpsuit on me, try it. But these people won't kneel before you," Petro said during a public address.
🇨🇴🇺🇸‼️ | Gustavo Petro desafía directamente a Marco Rubio en un acto público: “Si me quiere poner la pijama naranja, inténtelo”. El exguerrillero y presidente colombiano elevó el choque diplomático con EE.UU. al retar al Secretario de Estado y afirmar que “ningún colombiano es… pic.twitter.com/YgCUrEeX1T
— UHN Plus (@UHN_Plus) November 25, 2025
"Your hate from the past, which I don't know of, no Colombians are guilty of what happened to your grandfather or your father in Cuba," Petro added, a reference to the fact that Rubio's parents fled the island and made their way to the U.S.
Petro has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration during its campaign in the region, which has included more than 20 strikes against alleged drug vessels. He also slammed the administration recently 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 earlier in November.
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."
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