The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, stating Colombia faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally involved in the trade.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations including one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Firm Rebuttal
In response to a query if a military operation like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain me, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in drafting the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief announced that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa following he encouraged US troops to refuse unlawful commands. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on boats in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
