The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions bilaterally following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the US president hinted at analogous armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Alliance
Colombia was historically a key ally of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed cross-party backing in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly following Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the last century, rejected the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, which many of the population loves and respects, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," he admonished.
From Fighter to Statesman
The president dedicated part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from all sides of the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Economic Sanctions
American authorities revoked the president's entry visa following he called on US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
