Outgoing world leader called ‘sick’ by Trump has 1 message for him

As the two have continued to butt heads , outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro has some advice for President Donald Trump .

In a new interview with Politico, Petro — the first leftist leader in Colombia and one of the sharpest critics of U.S. foreign policy — encouraged dialogue among "all the nations of America," arguing that Latin American countries feel threatened by the Trump administration amid strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels , the capturing of leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Venezuela and warnings toward Cuba .

Petro, who is barred from seeking a second term, met with Trump at the White House last month in their first face-to-face meeting following months of sparring in interviews and on social media. They left with Trump describing Petro as "fantastic" and leaving a note and a signed copy for Petro of "Trump: The Art of the Deal."

"The way it unfolded and what we discussed, both for him and for me … acknowledging that we are different … that can be a message," Petro told Politico . "It is the message that we can meet and engage in dialogue despite our differences and that there are common points."

The private meeting came after Trump previously called Petro a "sick man," a "thug" and an "illegal drug leader" who is "strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs" in his country. Petro, meanwhile, said that "humanity has a first offramp," which is "to choose to change Trump in various ways."

"The easiest way may be through Trump himself – if not, get rid of Trump," Petro said in an interview with Univision last October, later walking back his remarks and saying that the president "should change his heart."

During the interview, Petro argued that the "main problem facing humanity" is the climate crisis.

"And I try to get Europe to return to that goal instead of thinking about bombs," Petro said. "And all of humanity as well."

While saying that South America and the Caribbean should be viewed as not "a land to be conquered," Petro claimed that Latin America could ultimately help the United States through an investment in clean energy: "All that is needed is a political agreement, political will, and investments that are essential today for both the U.S. and South America. $500 billion."

He did not criticize Trump by name directly — but did tear into the recent summit for the Shield of Americas, a new U.S. security initiative in the Western Hemisphere helmed by ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem .

While saying that Colombia was not invited, he called it a "political meeting" and said the countries that gathered are the "least experienced in the fight against drugs in the Americas."

"Some of them are deeply penetrated by the corruption of drug trafficking," Petro said. "But if anyone has experience in the fight against drugs, it is Colombia."

He also singled out Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tech billionaire Elon Musk for championing "white Christian Western civilization."

During the Munich Security Conference in February, Rubio declared that "we are part of one civilization — western civilization," which he said is "bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir." Musk has also suggested in the past that the west would be in danger without Christianity.

"The U.S., North America in general, South America and the Caribbean... all of us are diverse societies," Petro said. "Europe can no longer be conceived of as anything other than a diverse society. And that's not a bad thing. In my opinion, today's contemporary world can claim human diversity as an asset."

And while hinting at Trump's recent comments that Cuba may soon fall and his administration will turn its attention there, Petro said that "a peaceful dialogue with Cuba means engaging with it, not excluding it."

"I believe that there are people in the U.S. government who think similarly: that instead of imposing an empire, from which Cubans always liberate themselves, what is ultimately needed is to establish a dialogue between the Americas and include Cuba in the world of fiber optics and clean energy," Petro said.

"America: land and freedom," he added. "But freedom cannot be imposed. Freedom is built. And in America, in all of it, we still need to build freedom."

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