Medellin, Colombia — Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday morning.
The two leaders discussed several issues, including the exclusion of the Petro from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, commonly known as the Clinton List.
The content of the conversation between the two leaders was made public through a statement released by the President of Colombia.
Petro mentioned his past conversation with President Trump on his
According to the statement, President Trump responded to Petro’s request to remove himself and his family from the sanctions list, saying, “I will do my best.”
“I was surprised that he didn’t know that my family and I were still on the OFAC list,” Petro said. “He promised to do something about this.”
Petro’s name was added to the list on October 24, 2025, along with his former partner Verónica Alcocer, his eldest son Nicolás Petro and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti.
The Treasury Department said Petro was named for his alleged involvement in “illegal drug trafficking.”
Trump, days before his name was added. wrote Truth Social claimed, without providing any evidence, that Petro is “an illegal drug leader who strongly promotes the mass production of drugs…”
In the phone call, the two leaders also discussed eradicating drugs.
According to the statement, Petro requested that the U.S. government continue to support Colombia’s policy of replacing coca crops. The policy offers the benefit of encouraging farmers to stop growing plants that are the base ingredient in cocaine.
According to the presidency, the replacement program will be funded through December 31 of this year.
He also told the US president that Colombia had completed a goal set by the two countries to eradicate about 30,000 hectares of coca, with the hope of “reaching 41,000 hectares by the end of 2026.”
Perhaps tongue-in-cheek, Petro also added that he was surprised that President Donald Trump did not know that he did not support Abelardo de la Espriella, who narrowly defeated Petro’s Historic Pact candidate in the second election.
The US president has been criticized in some circles for supporting de la Espriella ahead of the June 21 election.
Featured Image: Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on February 3, 2026.
Image credit: Gustavo Petro via X.
