The US President and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone of their war of words, heightening strains bilaterally following American military units struck Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Threats coupled with Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, the US president threatened analogous use of force towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support in Washington, however, the relationship have soured markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
The President's Firm Response
When asked whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without information. End the false accusations," he expressed in a post.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest me, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to President
He passed a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Increased Security and Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices from across the ideological divide have rejected the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
American authorities revoked Petro’s visa subsequent to he called on US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, the first lady and several key allies.
Simultaneously the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
