The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone of their war of words, increasing strains between the two countries after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Allegations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, Trump hinted at comparable use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the country is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and distributing it to America."
Although Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Relationship
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have soured markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Answer
When asked whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, rejected the accusations. "I am not illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the people," he admonished.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he said.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the threats of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Financial Pressure
American authorities withdrew his travel authorization after he encouraged American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. In October, it placed asset freezes against the president, his wife and a number of associates.
At the same time as the US increased its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
