The US President and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the rhetoric of their exchange, increasing tensions in their relations after US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Allegations
Talking to the press on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the country faces serious problems and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly tied to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
The country has long been a key ally of the United States in the struggle combating drug cartels and received wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have deteriorated markedly following Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
When asked whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture me, whom many of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to President
The president dedicated part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city prior to his election president.
"I swore to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he said.
Heightened Measures and Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the threats of an invasion on Colombia.
Political and Financial Pressure
Washington revoked his travel authorization subsequent to he called on American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of key allies.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
