Gustavo Petro Accuses Trump Of Wanting To Intervene In Colombia's Presidential Elections: 'Seeking For The Far-Right To Win'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused U.S. counterpart Donald Trump of wanting to interfere with the South American country's elections next year, rejecting the claim that Washington's strikes against alleged drug vessels seeks to counter narco trafficking in the region.

"The magnitude of Trump's insults to Colombia and myself are no longer part of a strategy to target drug-traffickers, but to influence the Colombian elections next year, seeking the victory of the far right. They are actually likely to have ties to drug-trafficking but are obedient when it comes to accepting invasions," Petro said in a social media post, likely referring to the ongoing pressure on the Venezuelan regime, which according to different reports seeks to oust authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.

Petro has been feuding with different members of the Trump administration. Most recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed him, calling him a "lunatic."

"The Colombian authorities, when it comes to their military and their police, are still pro-American. The only problem with Colombia is their lunatic president. He's a lunatic, he's not well. Everybody knows that. The Colombian Congress voted to designate the Venezuelan regime as a narco terrorist organization. It is unfortunate they have to deal with this guy until May of next year," Rubio told press, in reference to the country's next presidential elections. The next president is set to take office on August 7.

Petro, on his end, said earlier this week that Trump has to "change his heart" or risk losing future elections.

Petro made the claim in an interview with Univision, prompting claims by detractors that he was threatening to "overthrow" Trump. One of them was Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who claimed in a social media post of his own that "Petro's threats must be taken seriously." "He is a genuine threat to the safety & security of our hemisphere," Gimenez added in a social media publication.

Petro responded, saying he was not "threatening" Trump. "I'm only saying that Trump must change his heart, going from defending policies of death in the world like the Palestinian genocide, for policies of life. If that change doesn't take place, then the American people will change Trump, because one can't go towards general suicide," he added.

Petro further slammed Trump in another passage of the interview as their clashes escalate during Washington's military deployment in the Caribbean. He claimed that "the U.S. doesn't care about us at all, and they show it with their words."