Colombia's Gustavo Petro appeared wearing a MAGA hat during his meeting with US President Donald Trump, sparking fierce backlash from the Colombian left and raising questions about the durability of anti-imperialist rhetoric when confronted with geopolitical reality.
The images, circulating widely on social media, show the Colombian president—who built his political career on leftist, anti-US imperialism platforms—donning Trump's signature red campaign hat during what was ostensibly a diplomatic reconciliation following their confrontation over deportation flights.
"I wasn't in agreement with picking a fight with the bull, especially after the situation in Venezuela, and when I saw the first images I was happy," wrote one disillusioned supporter on Reddit. "But he became as submissive as María Corina Machado. I can't express how much disappointment this generated for me. How can a leftist man wear the hat of the most fascist, xenophobic, homophobic popular right-wing movement today?"
The meeting followed a tense standoff in which Petro initially refused to accept US military deportation flights, citing concerns about the treatment of Colombian migrants. That defiance earned praise from progressive supporters who saw it as principled resistance to Washington's heavy-handed approach to immigration enforcement.
But the subsequent capitulation—symbolized by the MAGA hat photo—has created deep fractures within Colombia's left-wing coalition. Social media erupted with comparisons to other Latin American leaders who have accommodated Trump's administration despite previous confrontational rhetoric.
"Colombian fried chicken and a Colombian soda to settle our differences," read one mocking social media post referencing photos of the two leaders sharing a meal, invoking a Colombian saying about making peace over fried chicken.
The episode highlights a broader tension facing Latin American leftist governments: how to balance ideological commitments with practical diplomatic necessities. With Trump wielding immigration policy as leverage—threatening tariffs and economic consequences for countries that don't cooperate with deportations—even self-proclaimed anti-imperialist leaders find themselves constrained.
In Colombia, as across post-conflict societies, peace is not an event but a process—requiring patience, investment, and political will. But Petro's peace process now extends beyond former conflict zones to navigating the treacherous waters of US-Latin American relations under an unpredictable administration.
The political fallout may prove significant. Petro's coalition already faces challenges implementing his ambitious domestic agenda, including rural development programs in former FARC zones and social reforms. Alienating his progressive base over perceived subservience to Washington could further erode his political capital.
Conservative critics, meanwhile, seized on the meeting as validation of their longstanding argument that Petro's anti-US rhetoric was always performative. "Petrotrumpismo is born," mocked opposition social media accounts, creating portmanteau memes of the two leaders.
For the Colombian left, the MAGA hat represents more than a diplomatic photo opportunity gone wrong—it symbolizes the gap between revolutionary rhetoric and the compromises required when governing within a US-dominated hemispheric order. Whether Petro can recover his progressive credentials while maintaining necessary diplomatic relations with Washington remains an open question as his presidency enters its later stages.
