The US President and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions between the two countries following American military units struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the US president suggested comparable armed intervention against Colombia, claiming the country faces serious problems and led by a problematic figure involved in producing cocaine and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the world’s largest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Frayed Relationship
The country has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated significantly since Trump came to office.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms subsequent to a landmark accord.
Petro's Strong Response
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not involved in narcotics," he stated.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a large part of the country admires and supports, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent some years as a young man as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in creating a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices from across the political spectrum have condemned the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Sanctions
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and a number of key allies.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
