President Trump and Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their exchange, heightening tensions bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader threatened analogous military action against Bogotá, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who likes making the drug and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the United States in the campaign combating drug cartels and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured significantly following Trump was elected.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded after a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Response
In response to a query whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain me, whom many of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the fierce spirit of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
The president dedicated some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of Bogotá prior to his election president.
"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with the US president, however, leaders spanning Colombian politics have rejected the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Strains
The US revoked Petro’s visa after he urged US troops to ignore orders that violate law. In October, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of associates.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks against vessels in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
