A Post-Presidency Intervention: Trump's Call to Colombian President Duque Unpacks Peace Deal Grievances

It seems that even after leaving the Oval Office, former President Donald Trump keeps a keen eye on global affairs, especially when it comes to agreements he felt were, well, less than stellar. Case in point: a recent phone call with the then-outgoing Colombian President, Iván Duque, which surprisingly wasn't a casual farewell but rather a chance for Trump to emphatically revisit his long-held frustrations regarding Colombia's pivotal 2016 peace deal with the FARC rebels.

Sources close to the matter indicate that the conversation, which occurred just as Duque was preparing to step down, was dominated by Trump's characteristic bluntness. He reportedly told Duque, quite directly, that he viewed the accord as a "terrible agreement." For years, Trump has been steadfast in his belief that the deal was far too generous, granting FARC leaders – former guerrilla commanders, mind you – an unacceptable level of political power, financial leverage, and control over vast swaths of land. In his view, it essentially transformed a violent insurgency into what he’s termed a "super-socialist party," a sentiment he hasn't shied away from sharing.

It's certainly not a new critique from the former president. Throughout his own time in office, Trump was consistently skeptical, often linking the peace deal to a troubling surge in coca cultivation within Colombia. He even went so far as to threaten cuts to crucial U.S. aid, effectively using financial leverage to express his deep displeasure with how the accord was unfolding. And, it's worth noting, he didn't hold back from criticizing the Obama administration either, which had played a significant role in brokering the agreement.

President Duque, for his part, while perhaps finding himself in a somewhat awkward position, isn't entirely a stranger to reservations about the peace deal. He himself had voiced concerns, particularly regarding what he saw as overly lenient provisions for FARC leaders concerning accountability and potential impunity. Nevertheless, during his four-year term, Duque was tasked with the complex and often contentious job of overseeing the accord's ongoing implementation, navigating its challenges and controversies as best he could.

This phone call, coming as it did, offers a fascinating glimpse into Trump's continued engagement with foreign policy narratives, even post-presidency. It also arrives at a moment when the Biden administration is actively working to deepen its ties with Colombia, traditionally a key U.S. ally in the region. Meanwhile, the peace deal itself remains a living, breathing, and often messy document, with concerns still very real about the resurgence of FARC dissident groups and the enduring complexities of peace-building in a nation scarred by decades of conflict.