The US President and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone of their exchange, heightening tensions in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Threats and Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Trump suggested comparable use of force against Bogotá, asserting the country is also "very ill" and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the business.
A Strained Alliance
This nation has long been a staunch collaborator of Washington in the struggle against drug trafficking and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, but relations have worsened significantly following Trump assumed the presidency.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom disbanded after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in 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 left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to President
He passed part of his youth belonging of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I swore not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up arms again," he said.
Reinforced Protection and Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have condemned the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. In October, it placed asset freezes against the president, his wife and a number of close collaborators.
At the same time while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.
