The US President and Colombia's president have intensified the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions bilaterally following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions and Accusations
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man involved in producing cocaine and selling it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Alliance
This nation was historically a close partner of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly following Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Answer
When asked if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed decades ago, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. If they capture me, whom a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent part of his youth belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but for Colombia I shall resume the fight," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the ideological divide have condemned the threats of American military action targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization after he urged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, it placed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and various close collaborators.
At the same time while America bolstered its forces in the region and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
