Colombian President Petro Holds First Face-To-Face Talks With Trump At White House Amid Tensions

Afterward, Trump tried to downplay his past criticisms, saying, “He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted because I never met him. I didn’t know him at all.”

“We had a very good meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a subsequent event. “I thought he was terrific.”

Petro held his own post-meeting news conference and said the pair emerged “with a positive and optimistic view.” He said, “What brings us together is freedom. And that’s how the meeting started out.”