President Donald Trump Hails Gustavo Petro After White House Meeting
Private Oval Office meeting on Feb. 3, 2026, centered on counternarcotics, Venezuela and possible lifting of U.S. sanctions.
Overview
President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro held a private Oval Office meeting on Feb. 3, 2026, that lasted about two hours and ended with Trump calling Petro "terrific," White House officials confirmed.
The meeting followed a Jan. 7, 2026 phone call that eased months of public clashes and came weeks after a Jan. 3, 2026 U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, U.S. and Colombian officials said.
President Donald Trump said he was working on lifting U.S. sanctions imposed on Gustavo Petro in Oct. 2025 over alleged links to the drug trade, and Petro rejected those allegations as "slander," the presidents said.
Before the Feb. 3 visit, Colombia extradited Andrés Felipe Marín Silva, known as "Pipe Tuluá," to the United States, Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez said, citing law-enforcement cooperation.
Both governments said they would pursue talks on counternarcotics, migration and energy, including Petro's proposal to export Venezuelan gas through Colombia, with no immediate agreement to remove Oct. 2025 OFAC sanctions, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the meeting as a theatrical reconciliation, prioritizing personality and optics over policy. Editorial choices—loaded descriptors like 'trading threats and insults' and 'former Marxist revolutionary,' visual details (MAGA hat, tie removal), and emphasis on provocative remarks—shape a narrative of spectacle and tension rather than substantive agreement.
Sources (12)
FAQ
The private meeting on Feb. 3, 2026, focused on counternarcotics, Venezuela, and possible lifting of U.S. sanctions imposed on Petro in Oct. 2025 over alleged drug trade links.
Sanctions were imposed by the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC due to alleged links to the drug trade, which Petro rejected as slander.
A Jan. 7, 2026 phone call eased public clashes, following a Jan. 3, 2026 U.S. operation capturing Nicolás Maduro, and Colombia extradited drug lord Andrés Felipe Marín Silva.
Both governments will pursue talks on counternarcotics, migration, and energy, including Petro's proposal to export Venezuelan gas through Colombia, with no immediate sanctions removal.
Trump called Petro 'terrific' after the two-hour meeting, as confirmed by White House officials.
History
5 sources