The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the rhetoric of their war of words, heightening strains in their relations following US forces struck Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates narcotics facilities and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Talking to the press on Sunday, the US president threatened comparable military action towards the South American nation, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual involved in producing narcotics and selling it to America."
Although Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the business.
A Strained Alliance
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, but relations have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he declared.
"Trump speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
The president dedicated a period in his early life participating 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 drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as an influential politician. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he affirmed.
Increased Security along with Widespread Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices from across the political spectrum have condemned the threats of American military action against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
The US cancelled Petro’s visa following he urged US military personnel to refuse orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his wife and a number of key allies.
At the same time while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
