Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric of their exchange, further raising strains between the two countries following American military units struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally tied to the business.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia was historically a close partner of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly following Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Strong Response
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom 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 participating of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the capital city prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have condemned the notion of American military action on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
Washington revoked his travel authorization following he encouraged US troops to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
