The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the volume of their exchange, further raising strains between the two countries after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Claims
Talking to reporters on Sunday, Trump threatened comparable military action against Colombia, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual who enjoys creating narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the trade.
A Strained Relationship
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the US in the struggle combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated dramatically since Trump was elected.
The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised after a historic peace agreement.
The President's Defiant Rebuttal
Upon being questioned if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered against his country, 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 in the last century, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"He comments without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. If they capture the president, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.
"I swore not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he vowed.
Heightened Measures along with Widespread Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's security detail had received additional support.
Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump, yet figures from across Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Sanctions
The US withdrew his travel authorization after he called on American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and various key allies.
Simultaneously as the US increased its military presence near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
