The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the rhetoric of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump added.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the US president suggested similar armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
The country has long been a close partner of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing from American politicians, yet ties have soured significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain me, which many of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I made a vow not to touch a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the notion of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he urged US troops to ignore any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of associates.
Concurrently as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
