Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the tone in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions in their relations after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates narcotics facilities and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the American leader threatened similar military action against Bogotá, claiming Colombia faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Partnership
The country for decades served as a close partner of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have worsened markedly since Trump came to office.
Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters laid down arms after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Response
When asked whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will transform into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the country admires and supports, they will release the fierce spirit of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed a period in his early life participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the presidency.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, however, leaders spanning the political spectrum have condemned the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
The US withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Simultaneously while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
