The US President along with Colombia's president have intensified the tone of their exchange, heightening strains in their relations following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Accusations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the US president hinted at analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
The country was historically a staunch collaborator of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated dramatically after Trump was elected.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Answer
When asked if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he expressed online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. If they capture me, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across Colombian politics have rejected the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
Washington revoked the president's entry visa following he called on American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. Months later, it placed asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and several close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels in the region and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
