The US President along with Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric of their exchange, heightening strains in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Growing Tensions and Claims
Addressing reporters on Sunday, the US president suggested similar military action against Colombia, stating the nation is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Partnership
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, but relations have worsened dramatically since Trump came to office.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
Petro spent a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I shall resume arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's protection team had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the notion of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
The US cancelled the president's entry visa following he called on US troops to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, the first lady and several key allies.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.