Colombian President Petro Taunts Trump: 'Come Get Me' After Maduro Capture

In a bold escalation of U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking in Latin America, Colombian President Gustavo Petro defiantly challenged President Donald Trump with a direct taunt just days after American forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

"Come get me. I’m waiting for you here. Don't threaten me, I'll wait for you right here if you want to," Petro declared.

"I don't accept invasions, missiles, or assassinations, only intel. Come speak here with intelligence, and we'll receive you and talk face-to-face with facts, not lies. Stop getting lied to by Colombian political mafias who condemned us to 700,000 deaths and made us the world's most unequal country."

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Trump has accused Petro of overseeing cocaine production destined for the United States.

''He has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine. So, I stick by my statement. He does need to watch his ass," the President warned Saturday.

The exchange followed a daring U.S. special forces raid early Saturday that seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Caracas.

Authorities extradited the couple to New York to face long-standing drug trafficking charges.

Maduro appeared in Manhattan federal court Monday amid protests outside.

Trump declared the United States now in charge of Venezuela.

"We're in charge," he said aboard Air Force One. "We're going to run it, fix it."

He emphasized rebuilding Venezuela's oil infrastructure, decrying past seizures as "the greatest theft in the history of America."

"The oil companies are going to go in and rebuild their system," the President added Sunday. "It was the greatest theft in the history of America. Nobody has ever stolen our property like they have. They took our oil away from us. They took the infrastructure away and all that infrastructure is rotted and decayed, and the oil companies are going to go in and rebuild it."

Interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez signaled openness to cooperation with Washington, seeking "respectful relations."

Russia sharply criticized the operation. Senior senator Alexei Pushkov warned it risked catastrophe, accusing the U.S. of reviving “savage imperialism of the 19th century" and the "Wild West" concept.

"But what will the final result be? Will this 'triumph' not turn into a catastrophe?" Pushkov posted on Telegram.

Trump's has faced backlash over his recent pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 45 years.

Trump called Hernández "persecuted very unfairly."

Separately, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met warmly in Alaska for Ukraine ceasefire talks.

Following Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska in August, a lip reader revealed Trump whispering to Putin, "I'll help you."

Putin evidently replied, "I am here to help you."

As America flexes its muscle from Caracas to Anchorage, grabbing dictators and whispering deals with adversaries, one thing is crystal clear: The era of timid foreign policy is over, and the global order just got a rude awakening from a president who plays hardball without apology.