Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked President Donald Trump to sit down with him and talk things over a glass of whiskey, called him an outright racist in rambling social media posts and pledged to never yield to Washington’s pressure even if the economic sanctions being threatened led to his overthrow.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro and President Donald Trump had brief back-and-forth over deportees and tariff threats.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, a former Marxist guerrilla, has recently made headlines for his outspoken stance against U.S. policies, particularly in a public spat with President Donald Trump.

A simmering diplomatic stand-off over deportation flights spilled onto social media Sunday, threatening the once close relationship between the US and Colombia and further exposing the anxiety many feel in Latin America towards a second Trump presidency.

Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan hit a brief stumbling block on January 26 when Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, refused to allow two US flights carrying deported Colombian migrants to land. Petro’s complaint was that the US government was treating the migrants like criminals by repatriating them in military planes.