The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing strains in their relations after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the country is “very sick too” and led by a sick man involved in producing cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
This nation was historically a key ally of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, however, the relationship have worsened significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain me, which a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
He passed some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have rejected the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
The US revoked his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time while America bolstered its forces near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
