The US President and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries following American military units attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Growing Threats and Claims
Addressing reporters on Sunday, Trump suggested analogous use of force against Bogotá, stating the nation faces serious problems and “run by a sick man who likes making narcotics and distributing it to America."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the business.
A Frayed Relationship
The country has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated dramatically following Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Response
In response to a query whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. If they capture me, which a significant portion of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I pledged to abstain from using arms again ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, but voices from across the ideological divide have rejected the threats of American military action on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
The US revoked Petro’s visa subsequent to he encouraged US troops to disobey unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, his spouse and various associates.
At the same time while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
