The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. January 8, 2026 Trump Invites President Gustavo Petro to White House After Threatening Attacks on Colombia ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ President Trump praised Colombia's President Gustavo Petro after the two leaders held a more than hourlong phone call on Wednesday. It was a stark shift of tone, after Trump previously threatened to attack Colombia and called the Colombian leader a "sick man" involved in the cocaine trade. After Wednesday's call, Trump said it was his "great honor" to hold the conversation, adding that he's planning to invite President Petro to the White House. Petro responded from a rally in Bogotá. President Gustavo Petro: "Peace is found through dialogue, and that's why I accept President Trump's proposal to talk. We'll see what comes of it. I'll keep insisting that an alliance is possible in clean energy, because it brings peace and life and love. Colombia knows how to take advantage of peace." .