The US President and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the tone of their exchange, increasing tensions between the two countries after US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates cocaine mills and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Addressing the press on Sunday, Trump hinted at comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the country faces serious problems and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the business.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have soured dramatically since Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Answer
When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. If they capture me, which a significant portion of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated part of his youth as a member with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's protection team was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
Washington revoked the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, it placed asset freezes on Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
