After Colombian President Petro’s immediate U-turn, Donald Trump suspends tariffs on Bogota

Jan 27, 2025

New Delhi, January 27 (ANI): Within hours of announcing retaliatory measures against Colombia for its ‘over-smart’ move resisting US President Donald Trump’s long-awaited crackdown on illegal migrants, the tariff threats were suspended by the POTUS himself. The development occurred after Colombia took a U-turn, bluntly denying the landing of two American flights carrying migrants, which infuriated Trump and prompted him to impose emergency 25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States. He also warned that the tariffs could increase to 50% within one week, in addition to a travel ban and visa revocations for Colombian government officials and their allies. In response, Colombia had threatened a 50% tariff on US goods. However, the immediate devaluation of the Mexican peso and the surge in the value of the dollar within hours convinced Colombian President Gustavo Petro to back down. Taking a U-turn, Petro offered to cooperate with the United States. He even proposed sending his presidential plane to assist with the repatriation of migrants, in a bid to appease Trump and avoid punitive measures. On January 26, Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo stated that Colombia had "overcome the impasse with the US government." Murillo also confirmed that the presidential plane was ready to facilitate the return of Colombians on deportation flights.