The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume of their war of words, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Escalating Tensions and Allegations
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous armed intervention against Colombia, stating the country is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the business.
A Strained Relationship
The country was historically a key ally of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, but relations have soured dramatically following Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Response
In response to a query if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest me, whom many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump, however, leaders from across the ideological divide have denounced the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa after he encouraged US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, his wife and a number of associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and striking suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted attacks against vessels in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
