If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that the media will bend over backward to frame any Trump victory as some sort of failure. Case in point: Politico’s latest attempt to spin the recent U.S.-Colombia dispute over deportation flights and tariffs. Instead of reporting what actually happened—that Colombian President Gustavo Petro backed down and agreed to U.S. demands—Politico decided to frame the story as Trump “backtracking.”
Let’s review the facts. Petro had blocked two U.S. military flights carrying deported Colombian nationals from landing in his country. In response, Trump didn’t just sit around and hope for the best. He put immediate pressure on Colombia, threatening tariffs, travel bans, and visa revocations for Colombian officials. Within days, Petro relented, agreeing to accept deportation flights without limitation or delay. That’s what most people would call a decisive win for the U.S.
President Trump is not messing around when it comes to protecting America’s Homeland. pic.twitter.com/BFn1INKJcW
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 26, 2025
The Trump administration made it clear that Colombia had fully conceded. As White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
To make it even clearer, Leavitt added that while the tariffs and sanctions Trump had prepared would be held in reserve, they would be enforced immediately if Colombia failed to uphold its end of the deal. Visa sanctions and enhanced border inspections would remain in effect until the first plane of deportees successfully landed. Sounds like a pretty straightforward diplomatic victory, right?
The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms pic.twitter.com/mQocusSGOC
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 27, 2025
Well, not if you’re Politico. Somehow, despite the fact that Trump applied pressure, Colombia caved, and the U.S. got exactly what it wanted, Politico framed the story as Trump backtracking. It’s a truly impressive level of media gymnastics. Petro was the one who reversed his position—Trump didn’t give up anything—but Politico had to find a way to make it seem like the former was the victor.
This was the headline after Trump steamrolled the leftist President of Colombia and made him take back all of his criminal illegal aliens.
Never change, @Politico. pic.twitter.com/GE6c24LeEk
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) January 27, 2025
This kind of media spin is nothing new, of course. If Trump pressures a foreign leader and they give in, the media calls it “bullying.” If a foreign leader resists and Trump retaliates, the media calls it “escalating tensions.” And if a deal is reached where Trump gets everything he demanded? Well, apparently, that’s backtracking.
Petro tried to play hardball with the wrong administration, and he lost. The U.S. will continue deporting illegal Colombian nationals, and the Colombian government will have to take them back—exactly as Trump intended. The media can try to spin it however they like, but the facts don’t change.
