President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Accusations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, Trump threatened comparable use of force against Colombia, stating Colombia faces serious problems and led by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way connected to the business.
A Strained Relationship
This nation has long been a key ally of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have soured significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
Petro's Defiant Answer
In response to a query whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."
The Colombian leader, 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 I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he expressed online.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the president, whom many of the population holds in high esteem, they will unleash the powerful force of the nation," he admonished.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing a new constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before winning the nation's highest office.
"I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief stated that Petro's security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with the US president, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa after he called on US troops to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
