Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.
Rising Tensions and Claims
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the US president suggested similar armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming the country is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating cocaine and trafficking it to the United States."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is personally tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the struggle combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have worsened dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Response
When asked if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate nor am I a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Leader
The president dedicated a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning the political spectrum have rejected the threats of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged US troops to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions against the president, his spouse and various key allies.
At the same time as the US increased its forces in the Caribbean and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes against vessels in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
