The U.S. military operation against Venezuela, and the subsequent statements and threats by President Donald Trump toward third countries, continue to generate controversy, including in Colombia, where Senator Iván Cepeda, a pro-government presidential hopeful, in addition to criticizing these threats against President Petro, stated that their purpose is to influence the presidential elections scheduled for midyear.
Amid this context, Cepeda used his social media platforms and remarks to Colombian public television to reject what he described as attempts at intimidation directed both at the Colombian head of state and at citizens as a whole. He noted that such statements could represent a form of interference in the electoral process approaching in Colombia this year, with the intention of favoring right-wing opposition candidacies.
For Cepeda, who has been leading the polls for the presidential elections for several weeks, President Donald Trump’s threats are a clear sign of interference that cannot be tolerated in a sovereign democracy. The senator recalled that Colombia is not a “colony or a protectorate” of the United States and rejected any insinuation that the Colombian president could be intimidated by slander or insults coming from foreign actors.
His statement comes at a time when relations between Bogotá and Washington are going through their worst crisis in decades, with mutual accusations, sanctions, and explicit warnings about possible interventions that have set off alarm bells in political and social sectors across the country.
Cepeda slams Trump’s threats against Petro as election meddling in Colombia
Cepeda’s statements are not limited to traditional diplomatic rhetoric. By placing them in the context of the electoral campaign, the pro-government senator directly linked external threats to a possible strategy aimed at influencing the will of Colombian voters.
“The attacks by the far right, both Colombian and U.S., against our government are intended to prevent our victory in the 2026 elections … because there is fear of the citizen and popular support enjoyed by President Petro and the current government,” Cepeda told the public broadcaster RTVC.
The candidate seeking to give continuity to Colombia’s left-wing government suggested that “this strategy to prevent a political and electoral victory is clearly reflected in the type of actions, speeches, and attacks.” Cepeda pointed out that “this is not about the problem of drug trafficking, as has been claimed, nor even about armed structures and groups that exist in different Colombian territories. Yesterday [Saturday] President Trump admitted it: what lies at the heart of all this is the desire to take control of Venezuela’s oil wealth and probably Colombia’s as well.”
According to his analysis, the verbal attacks and insinuations of military action against Petro seek not only to weaken the president internationally, but also to erode his domestic support ahead of this year’s elections. Cepeda’s discourse resonates in a climate in which government opponents have capitalized on tensions with the United States to question Petro’s leadership and his ability to guarantee national security and stability. However, it also aligns with similar denunciations recently made by the left in other Latin American countries.
Cepeda’s stance has been echoed by other sectors close to the government that have also come out in defense of Petro and national sovereignty. Political figures such as Roy Barreras have underscored the need to respect Colombia’s democratic processes and to reject any form of external pressure.
At the same time, the situation has generated concern within the opposition, which is closely watching how these exchanges unfold amid an electoral campaign marked by confrontation and expectations regarding the country’s future leadership.
The ‘rapacity’ of the US government over Latin America
The U.S. intervention in Venezuela, through a military operation that ended with Maduro’s arrest, has been harshly criticized by the Colombian government. Petro described the action as a flagrant violation of international law and an act that undermines the sovereignty of Latin American peoples.
Although Washington presented its operation as an offensive against drug trafficking and terrorism, governments in the region, including Colombia, have viewed it as a troubling escalation of U.S. foreign policy in the hemisphere. In response, Petro has insisted on defending national sovereignty and has rejected insinuations linking him to illicit activities, emphasizing that there is no evidence to support such claims.
Cepeda broadened the focus of his criticism beyond President Petro himself to include the Colombian people, arguing that Trump’s threats — repeated on two occasions over the past weekend — affect society as a whole. In his message, he insisted that citizens are not immune to the consequences of verbal or political aggression by a foreign power, and underscored the importance of preserving the country’s autonomy in the face of any attempt at international pressure.
“It is purely a matter of greed and rapacity for the economic and natural wealth of our land,” candidate Cepeda concluded, also directing remarks at Uribismo and Colombia’s internal right-wing opposition.
Regarding the latter, presidential candidate Iván Cepeda maintained that by unequivocally supporting Trump’s unilateral actions, they seek to “continue their traditional practice of corruption, trampling on social rights, and thus continuing personal profiteering and enrichment.”
#Política l La reciente amenaza del presidente, Donald Trump, contra el mandatario @petrogustavo es interpretada por distintos sectores políticos como una maniobra de presión externa con impacto directo en el escenario electoral colombiano.
🔴 Conéctate aquí 👉🏻… pic.twitter.com/kainGwfFPJ
— RTVC Noticias (@RTVCnoticias) January 4, 2026
Related: Colombia’s Petro Calls for Mass Mobilization to Reject Trump’s Threats.