"Gustavo Petro thought this past week that at any moment an assault force could land on the roof of the Casa de Narino, the Colombian presidential residence, and burst into his office. He doesn't have a bunker to run to, as Nicolas Maduro tried to do a week ago before he was captured and placed on a helicopter bound for the United States. The 65-year-old Colombian president felt threatened by Donald Trump's insinuations that something similar could happen to him."
"The U.S. president has variously called Petro a drug addict, a thug, a drug trafficker, and a front man for Maduro. He has added him to the Clinton List a redlist of individuals and companies linked by Washington to drug trafficking and revoked his visa. Petro, meanwhile, says he clung to the people as a shield against the army with the greatest firepower in history, and to Simon Bolivar's sword, kept as a relic close to him."
Gustavo Petro feared an immediate assault on the Casa de Nariño and lacked a bunker, recalling Nicolas Maduro's recent capture and transfer to the United States. Donald Trump publicly insulted Petro, placed him on the Clinton List, and revoked his visa. Petro relied on public presence and Simón Bolívar's sword as symbols of protection. A one-hour phone call with Trump ended amicably and prompted Petro to tone down anti-imperialist rhetoric. Petro identified pragmatic overlaps with Trump on drug trafficking and Venezuela, sought to avoid further conflict, and faced limited time and domestic corruption challenges.
Read at english.elpais.com
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