The US President along with Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their war of words, heightening tensions between the two countries following American military units struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Accusations
Talking to journalists over the weekend, the American leader threatened similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to America."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally involved in the business.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of Washington in the struggle against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Response
Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, whom a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed 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. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, however, leaders from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Strains
American authorities withdrew his travel authorization after he called on American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. Months later, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
