Days after calling him a ‘sick man who likes making cocaine’, Donald Trump just called his conversation with President Petro a ‘Great Honor’

President Trump just had a truly remarkable phone conversation with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, which the president later described as a “Great Honor,” as per The Hill. This is a massive, almost instantaneous shift in tone, especially considering the extremely heated rhetoric flying between Washington, D.C., and Bogotá just a few days ago.

The conversation happened shortly after the U.S. strikes in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. A White House official confirmed the call took place. Just this past Sunday, President Trump was issuing serious threats against the South American nation. He called Petro a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.”

As if that wasn’t intense enough, when a correspondent asked the president if he intended to launch a military operation on Colombia, President Trump simply replied, “it sounds good to me.” This wasn’t the first time he’d mocked Petro, either; last month, the president told Petro he “better watch his a—.”

This rapid diplomatic pivot is surprising, especially since Colombia wasn’t the only nation receiving warnings from the White House

Following the strikes in Venezuela, President Petro called on his citizens to defend their “national sovereignty” and gave a stark warning against any potential U.S. intervention. Petro said, “If you bomb peasants, thousands of guerrillas will return to the mountains. And if you arrest the president whom a good part of my people want and respect, you will unleash the popular jaguar.” Petro deployed a substantial force, sending 30,000 Colombian soldiers along the country’s border with Venezuela.

Despite all that intense tension, the two leaders spoke for 35 minutes. The Colombian government confirmed the call, describing the interaction as “a good and positive call.” President Trump posted about the discussion on Truth Social, explaining that President Petro initiated the conversation to smooth things over.

“It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump wrote. He added that he “appreciated his call and tone,” which is a complete one-eighty from the insults we heard earlier in the week.

It seems we’re moving from a period of extreme threats straight into high-level diplomatic engagement. President Trump is already looking forward to a meeting, stating he anticipates seeing Petro in the near future. He confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Minister of Colombia are working out the arrangements for a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The president has also issued threats toward Mexico, suggesting he might send the military after cartel leaders there. He also hinted that Cuba’s government is “ready to fall” now that it can’t rely on Venezuela.