President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing strains bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested similar use of force against Bogotá, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, but relations have worsened significantly following Trump came to office.
The nation's narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain me, which a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
He passed some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing the nation's constitution over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with the US president, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of American military action on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
The US cancelled Petro’s visa following he encouraged US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes against vessels off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
