Trump Administration Reportedly Blocked Meeting Between Colombia’s President and New York City Mayor

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump worked behind the scenes to stop a meeting that had been scheduled for this week in New York between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. According to a report in the "Washington Post," the American intervention ultimately led to the cancellation of the meeting and to Petro shortening his visit to the city.

According to the report, American officials sent a clear message to the Colombian government in Bogotá that holding the meeting was unacceptable to Washington. Shortly afterward, the meeting was canceled, and Mamdani’s office was told that "a conversation" between the two would not be possible.

The "Washington Post" noted that this was an unusual step by the Trump administration, which intervened directly to prevent a meeting between two foreign elected officials on U.S. soil. A source at the U.S. State Department told the newspaper that the meeting could have violated visa restrictions imposed on Petro following remarks he made last year.

The source said: "A visa is a privilege, not a right. A person holding a visa risks losing it if he calls on soldiers not to obey the president’s orders." The comments came against the backdrop of Petro’s past call for American soldiers not to follow Trump’s instructions, as well as his sharp criticism of U.S. aid to Israel.

Relations between Trump and Petro have deteriorated in recent months and turned into a public confrontation. Colombia’s president accused Trump of "involvement in the genocide in Gaza," while Trump fired back, calling Petro "a crazy person with many mental problems."

The Colombian president stirred outrage this week after posting the words "Heil Hitler" on X, a move that sparked sharp condemnations around the world. The Anti-Defamation League responded forcefully: "An elected head of state should not need an explanation for why posting a Nazi slogan is horrifying and unacceptable. There is no excuse for it, and no context that justifies it."

Yesterday, Petro spoke at the U.N. Security Council and compared Israel to Nazi Germany: "20,000 people have been killed in Gaza. These numbers cannot be hidden. We are returning to the Nazi era." Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, sharply rejected the remarks: "It is unclear what he took before this morning’s discussion, but nothing justifies his words." He added: "Giving legitimacy to this rhetoric harms the memory of the Holocaust and undermines the credibility of the U.N."

Petro is considered one of Israel’s harshest critics in Latin America. Since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, he has repeatedly attacked Israeli policy, severed diplomatic relations between the countries, opened an embassy in Ramallah, and joined the case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.