The US President and Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing strains in their relations following US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has narcotics facilities and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions and Allegations
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous armed intervention against Colombia, stating Colombia faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia has long been a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have soured significantly after Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Response
When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, which a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Leader
Petro spent a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow not to touch a gun ... but for Colombia I shall resume the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with the US president, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the threats of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, his spouse and several key allies.
Simultaneously as the US increased its forces in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes on boats in Pacific waters adjacent to Colombia.
