The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume of their war of words, increasing tensions bilaterally after US forces struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Threats and Allegations
Talking to journalists on Sunday, Trump threatened similar military action against Bogotá, claiming the country is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation was historically a key ally of the United States in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have worsened markedly after Trump was elected.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, whom many of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.
From Insurgent to President
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security and Broad Opposition
Colombia's defense chief announced that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump, but voices from across Colombian politics have denounced the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on US troops to refuse any illegal orders. In October, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and various associates.
Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out attacks on boats off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
