The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone of their exchange, further raising strains in their relations after American military units struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the US president suggested similar military action against Colombia, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have worsened dramatically after Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture me, which a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
He passed part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning president.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he encouraged US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. In October, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
