Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, increasing strains between the two countries after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Rhetoric and Accusations
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, Trump hinted at similar use of force towards the South American nation, stating the nation faces serious problems and led by a sick man involved in producing cocaine and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way connected to the trade.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia was historically a close partner of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no illegitimate nor am I a narco," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a post.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the president, whom many of Colombians loves and respects, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
Petro spent a period in his early life participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief stated that the president’s personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Strains
The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he encouraged American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. In October, it placed asset freezes against the president, his wife and a number of associates.
Concurrently as the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
