The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their exchange, further raising tensions in their relations after American military units struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Claims
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Trump hinted at similar armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the US in the campaign combating drug cartels and benefited from bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am not illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture me, whom many of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in writing a new constitution in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I swore to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he said.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump, but voices from all sides of Colombian politics have condemned the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
The US revoked Petro’s visa after he encouraged US troops to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels in the region and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
