Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising tensions bilaterally after US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Threats coupled with Accusations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at similar armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally tied to the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation has long been a key ally of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have soured markedly following Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is predominantly run by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Strong Answer
In response to a query whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain me, which many of the population loves and respects, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
He passed a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have condemned the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
The US withdrew the president's entry visa following he urged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and various associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the region and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
