The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Tensions and Allegations
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the US president suggested comparable armed intervention against Colombia, asserting Colombia is “very sick too” and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia is the leading cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and enjoyed wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly since Trump came to office.
Its drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Strong Answer
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed he did not participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Broad Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's security detail was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Sanctions
The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he encouraged US military personnel to refuse unlawful commands. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its troop levels in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
