Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric of their exchange, increasing strains between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Accusations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader hinted at analogous use of force against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
The country has long been a key ally of the US in the struggle combating drug cartels and benefited from wide political approval in Washington, but relations have deteriorated markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised following a landmark accord.
The President's Firm Response
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the hills. If they capture me, whom a large part of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
He passed part of his youth participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with the US president, however, leaders spanning the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
The US withdrew his travel authorization following he called on US troops to ignore any illegal orders. In October, it placed financial sanctions against the president, his wife and a number of key allies.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out attacks on boats in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
