The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone in their verbal conflict, heightening strains in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Addressing the press on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the country is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who likes making the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
Colombia has long been a close partner of Washington in the fight combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have soured significantly since Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a landmark accord.
Petro's Firm Answer
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom many of the population admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent a period in his early life belonging in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I would take up weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have denounced the notion of an invasion on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to disobey orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his spouse and several close collaborators.
At the same time as the US increased its troop levels in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
