The US President along with Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their war of words, further raising tensions bilaterally after US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Trump suggested analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating the nation faces serious problems and led by a problematic figure involved in producing cocaine and selling it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia was historically a staunch collaborator of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have worsened significantly after Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Strong Response
When asked whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, rejected the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will become numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating a new constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
Washington revoked his travel authorization after he urged US troops to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its troop levels in the region and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes on boats in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
