For months, United States President Donald Trump has called him a “sick man” and an “illegal drug leader”.But on Tuesday, Trump welcomed his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to the White House for their first face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listBoth leaders hailed the meeting as productive, while acknowledging the lingering tensions that divide them.At a news conference after their meeting, Petro waved away questions about his rocky history with Trump, whom he has publicly accused of human rights violations.Instead, he called the interaction “ a meeting between two equals who have different ways of thinking”.“He didn’t change his way of his thinking. Neither did I. But how do you do an agreement, a pact? It’s not as between twin brothers. It’s between opponents,” Petro said.Separately, Trump told reporters from the Oval Office that he felt good about the meeting. “I thought it was terrific,” he said.On the agenda for the two leaders were issues including the fight against transnational drug trafficking and security in Latin America.Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s meeting.A White House charm offensiveOver the past year, Trump has invited the media to participate in his meetings with foreign leaders, often holding news conferences with the visiting dignitaries in the Oval Office.Not this time, however. The meeting between Trump and Petro lasted nearly two hours, all of it behind closed doors.But the two leaders emerged with largely positive …
