The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their exchange, further raising strains between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He operates cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Tensions and Accusations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader threatened comparable military action towards the South American nation, asserting the nation faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Partnership
Colombia was historically a close partner of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing from American politicians, yet ties have soured significantly after Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Response
In response to a query if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"He comments without information. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Statesman
The president dedicated part of his youth as a member in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I pledged not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that Petro's protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa following he urged US troops to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and several associates.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
