The US President along with Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally following American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric coupled with Claims
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the American leader threatened analogous armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the trade.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia has long been a key ally of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in Washington, but relations have worsened dramatically following Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
In response to a query whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, whom a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to President
He passed part of his youth as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I swore to abstain from using arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned the possibility of a US attack against their nation.
Political and Financial Strains
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged American soldiers to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and several associates.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
