The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the rhetoric of their exchange, further raising strains bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Rising Tensions and Claims
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the US president hinted at analogous military action against Colombia, claiming the nation faces serious problems and led by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and received cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members laid down arms following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he stated.
"Trump speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated part of his youth participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Rejection
Colombia's defense chief announced that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, the first lady and various close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its forces near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
