President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their war of words, increasing strains between the two countries following American military units struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the nation is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the business.
A Strained Relationship
The country for decades served as a key ally of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have soured markedly following Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Response
In response to a query whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the 1990s, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am not illegitimate and I am not a narco," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest me, whom a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.
From Fighter to Leader
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
Colombia's defense chief reported that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, yet figures spanning the political spectrum have condemned the threats of American military action against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Pressure
The US withdrew his travel authorization after he called on US troops to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted economic restrictions against the president, his wife and various associates.
Simultaneously the US was building up its military presence near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
