The US President and Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains in their relations following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Threats and Accusations
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
The country has long been a staunch collaborator of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and received wide political approval in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is largely controlled by guerrilla factions such as the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, rejected the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest the president, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization although reports indicate to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in creating a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from across the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Political and Financial Pressure
American authorities revoked his travel authorization following he encouraged US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. In October, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
