The US President and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions bilaterally following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Trump hinted at comparable military action against Bogotá, claiming Colombia is “very sick too” and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia has long been a close partner of Washington in the struggle against drug trafficking and received wide political approval in Washington, but relations have worsened dramatically after Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the last century, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. If they capture me, which a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
The president dedicated part of his youth as a member in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the nation's constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I swore not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Rejection
Colombia's defense chief stated that the president’s protection team was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
The US withdrew the president's entry visa following he called on US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. In October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and a number of associates.
At the same time while America bolstered its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed operations on boats in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
