President Trump and Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Trump suggested comparable use of force against Colombia, asserting the country is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly after Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Firm Answer
When asked whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a message.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed part of his youth belonging of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I swore not to touch a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume arms again," he said.
Increased Security and Cross-Political Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief announced that the president’s protection team had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Economic Pressure
The US withdrew Petro’s visa following he encouraged American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions on Petro, his spouse and several close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its military presence in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes against vessels in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
