Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume of their exchange, further raising strains bilaterally following American military units struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Claims
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump hinted at similar use of force against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the business.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed wide political approval in Washington, but relations have deteriorated markedly after Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters disbanded following a landmark accord.
Petro's Firm Rebuttal
When asked if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the nation's constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but in defense of my country I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Rejection
Colombia's defense chief announced that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices from across Colombian politics have condemned the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
Washington revoked Petro’s visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.
Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
