The picture said more than the words.
President Trump posted a photograph of himself in a fedora hat, alongside a sign with four letters on it: FAFO.
That’s usually interpreted as “f*** around, find out”.
Colombia found out very quickly that he has no intention of backing down.
But it is American consumers who may be about to find out the impact of the tariffs he’s imposing.
Importers of coffee, fruit and vegetables and petrol from Colombia will distribute those additional costs somewhere.
His retaliation for the refusal to receive migrants returning on military aircraft came swiftly.
Read more: Trump announces ‘retaliatory measures’ against Colombia
There are suggestions President Trump is already feeling the heat from his inner circle over immigration.
Some have reportedly told him he needs to be deporting thousands per day, not hundreds, to keep his promise of the largest deportation in US history.
If anyone thinks the signing of executive orders was just for the optics, to make him look strong, they should think again.
The action he’s taken against Colombia risks serious tension with Latin American nations.
Colombia is already threatening to impose 50% on US goods in a tit-for-tat tariff war.
Mexico has also objected to the use of military aircraft for the deportation of migrants.
Brazil expressed concern that some of them were handcuffed on the flight out of the United States.
Donald Trump had already laid claim to the Panama Canal and changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, by executive order.
The latest diplomatic row comes as Marco Rubio prepares for his first trip as Secretary of State.
The destination? Latin America. There may be some turbulence en route.
