Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the rhetoric of their war of words, heightening tensions bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Threats and Allegations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and led by a sick man involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the trade.
A Strained Partnership
The country has long been a close partner of the United States in the struggle against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Response
Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am not illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will become numerous insurgents across the countryside. If they capture me, whom many of the population loves and respects, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to President
Petro spent a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he said.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from across the ideological divide have condemned the possibility of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa following he urged American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
