The White House is getting dragged for misspelling "Colombia" in an official statement after President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions on the country for refusing to accept migrant flights.
After Colombia turned away two of these flights, President Gustavo Petro announced that he had denied entry to U.S. “military planes” carrying Colombian migrants, forcing them to turn back. He emphasized that deportations must be conducted with “dignity and respect.”
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In response, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all Colombian goods entering the U.S. He also declared that the U.S. would immediately revoke the visas of Colombian government officials, their allies, and supporters. Additionally, the State Department announced on Sunday that the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá would suspend the issuance of visas to the U.S.
In a post, Trump said, in part, that he "was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia," and said he would impose emergency tariffs on the nation.
He later said:
"These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!"
And while his unhinged Truth Social post spelled "Colombia" correctly...
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
...an official White House press release issued shortly afterward containing the post was titled:
"ICYMI: President Donald J. Trump's TRUTH on Columbia Sanctions."
The correct spelling is "Colombia." "Columbia" is not a country, of course. It's actually the name of one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S.
You can see the header of the press release below.
whitehouse.gov
Trump and his administration were mocked almost immediately.
Trump’s proposed tariffs threatened to devastate Colombia’s flower industry—a key export to the United States—just ahead of the Valentine’s Day season, while also driving up prices for American consumers. Coffee prices in the U.S. could have surged as well, given Colombia’s status as a major exporter, with businesses likely passing the cost of tariffs onto consumers through higher prices.
However, late Sunday, the White House announced that Colombia had “agreed to all of President Trump’s terms,” including permitting U.S. military aircraft to deport Colombian nationals. The suspension of visas will remain in place until the first plane of deportees is accepted, while the tariffs and sanctions have been placed “in reserve” as leverage should Colombia fail to uphold its commitments.
Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia’s foreign minister, and the Colombian ambassador to the United States are set to hold high-level meetings in the coming days to follow up on an “exchange of diplomatic notes” between the two governments.